The AmazinGlee Race 2: A Whole New World
by grlnxtdr29
Summary: When Kurt is offered the chance to run The Amazing Race again, he almost declines, but when he is given the chance to run it with Blaine this time, he accepts. Four teams return intact, four teams return with new partners, and four brand new teams join them in the race for a million dollars! New Rules, New Countries, New Adventures, and all new surprises await!
1. Here We Go Again

**Prologue**

**Here We Go Again**

Kurt was a nervous wreck, despite the fact that the wedding had gone off without a hitch, and the reception was in full swing. Blaine had just dropped a bombshell in his lap, and he didn't know what to do about it.

When Phil had called last week and asked if he wanted to go on The Amazing Race again, he had asked for time to think it over, but had been pretty sure he was going to say no. He'd just gotten a promotion at Vogue, from intern to style commentator, which meant he'd be giving his opinions on current trends, and if the editors liked them, they'd be used in the magazine. He'd also be working more closely with Isabelle, who had been the one to recommend him for the position.

He and Blaine had been keeping in touch nightly, talking for hours on the phone and on Skype, but Kurt had been kept so busy, between the promotion and planning not only Burt and Carole's wedding, but Tina and Mike's as well, that he hadn't had a chance to visit his boyfriend in Michigan.

And Blaine had been busy as well. Mercedes had recorded his song, and released it as the first single on her debut album. It hit number two on Billboard's R&B charts, and ever since, he'd had several commissions from various artists, and had been asked to write the score for a major motion picture.

The curly haired man had flown into Lima the day before, for Burt and Carole's wedding. Kurt had been there a couple of days already, overseeing last minute details. It was the first time in over a month that they had been face to face, not since Blaine had to come to New York to film some of the confessionals for the race. He'd only been in town one night, and had stayed with Kurt, but they'd both been so exhausted, all they had done was sleep, and Blaine had to fly back to Michigan the next day.

The first episode of their adventure around the world had aired that night before the wedding, and most of the friends they had made on the race who were in town for the wedding had packed into the Hummel house to watch it together.

Kurt had been a bit bummed that he hadn't had more than a few minutes alone with Blaine since the shorter man had arrived. Mercedes and Tina had latched on to the hazel eyed man. The dark skinned goddess wanted to discuss a couple of songs he was working on for her, and the goth Asian wanted his opinion on serenading Mike at the wedding. Theirs would take place on New Years Eve, in roughly six weeks.

Today he'd been ready to call Phil back and politely turn down the offer, with the excuse that his dad had hinted at a desire to partner with Carole if he could. Kurt wasn't thrilled with the idea of his dad going on the race again, either, but decided that with Carole there to keep an eye on and take care of him, his dad deserved the chance to have that adventure with his wife.

Now Blaine had informed him that he had been invited to come back for the race as well, but Cooper wouldn't be available to partner with him, as he'd landed a role in a movie, and would be filming on location in Anchorage, Alaska when the race would begin in January.

He could partner with Blaine, they could spend a month together, day and night. And maybe Kurt could find the chance to ask that very important question he'd been thinking about for the past few months…

"Please say you'll go on the race with me?" Blaine all but begged, giving him that puppy dog face he had yet to build any immunity to.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Fine! But only because I love it when you beg!"

Blaine smirked at him. "Wanna make me beg for something else?"

Kurt raked his eyes over the other man, noting how well the tailored tux fit the shorter man, and how well the brooch Kurt had picked up in India, and had given to Blaine for their twenty week anniversary a few weeks ago, and was now affixed to the lapel, brought out the honeyed highlights in those hazel eyes. His gaze moved lower to the very obvious bulge in the other man's crotch.

The pale man tried to give Blaine an expression of disapproval, indicating he thought he was out of place for being so turned on at his dad's wedding. But at the same time, it had been so long since he and Blaine had a private moment together. He was still a little miffed at not getting time alone with him the night before.

Instead of trying to scold him, Kurt gave in, grabbing the man's hand and leaving the reception hall, not caring if anyone noticed them heading away from the party.

Truth be told, someone had. Burt Hummel was eyeing his son from his seat at the head table with his new wife. The man had a knowing look on his face and a glance at Carole told him that she hadn't missed her stepson's nonchalant way of exiting the reception with his boyfriend either.

"You know," Carole said to him with a slight smirk, setting her glass of champagne down. "He doesn't have a bad idea."

Burt's eyes widened at her words. "Are you seriously suggesting we sneak off at our own wedding?" he asked.

"Who said consummating the marriage had to wait until the honeymoon?" she responded with a sly wink. Burt watched her stand from the table and start heading for the exit, perhaps on a pretense of using the restroom, but he knew that wasn't what she had in mind.

The man waited a few moments before he stood and followed his new wife out of the reception hall.

Meanwhile, Kurt was shutting the door to one of the dressing rooms, standing against it and switching the lock. He was now eyeing his boyfriend with a hungry look in his eyes. Maybe sneaking off at his dad's wedding wasn't the best time for them to reconnect this way, but Kurt no longer cared. All he wanted was the feeling of being in Blaine's arms again. That private moment they got so few of now that they weren't on the race anymore. He found it funny that they'd had more moments alone during the race than they did now.

"Have I ever told you how much you turn me on?" Kurt asked, stepping forward and pressing his hand lightly to Blaine's chest, walking him back until he fell on the chaise in the room. The pale man looked around. "They need a bed in here," he deadpanned.

"This is a dressing room, Kurt," Blaine stated with a snort of laughter.

Kurt shrugged. "So? You don't think sometimes the bride and groom need to stay overnight so they can leave in the morning?"

Blaine just looked at him for a moment. "Less talking, more kissing," he finally said, reaching out to grab Kurt by his tie.

Kurt shook his head and pulled back. "I thought you were going to beg?" He smirked at Blaine, effectively hiding his urge to just pounce on him. Thank a God he didn't believe in, that he was such a good actor.

Blaine whined and cupped his hands together in a pleading manner. "Please! Please make love to me Kurt!" he cried.

The very sight gave the pale man an idea. He undid the tie from around his neck and slipped it around his boyfriend's wrists, tying it into a knot, tight, but not so much that it was hurting the other man. Blaine watched his actions with a growl.

"Behave. I could have tied them behind you," he said with a wink. Kurt toed his shoes off and crawled slowly over the top of the other man, snapping his teeth in a hungry growl. "I would love to taste you from the top of your head, all the way down to the tip of your toes."

"Please," Blaine peeped.

Kurt lightly dragged his fingers down Blaine's chest, tugging his dress shirt free of his pants.

"Touch me Kurt! Please put your hands on my skin!" Kurt clicked his tongue in a tsking manner.

"So needy, and yet, not quite enough." He grinned a devilish grin and slowly began to pop the buttons on Blaine's shirt, one at a time, using only one hand as he brought the other up to push Blaine's bound wrists above his head.

Blaine lifted his head, trying to bring their lips together in a kiss. But Kurt released his shirt and pushed the other's head back down gently.

"Not so fast, hot stuff," he said. He wanted to attack Blaine's lips just as much, but Blaine had said he wanted to beg, so he was going to make him beg.

Slowly, the pale man stood up. "Don't move," he said. "I'll be right back."

Blaine pouted. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Giving in for just a moment, to reassure Blaine that everything was fine, Kurt leaned over and pecked a soft kiss to his lips. "I need to get a few useful things. I promise I'll be right back, okay sweetie?" he stated.

The curly haired man nodded his head and Kurt blew him a kiss before slipping back out of the room, strolling down the corridor as fast as he could while still being casual.

Blaine decided he needed to hurry this along in some way, mostly because he wasn't sure how long they could stay here, but also intending to entice Kurt.

With some difficulty because his hands were still bound at the wrists, he managed to strip the rest of his clothes off, his erection springing free.

Kurt was back at the door to the room in no time, with the things he'd gone out to get. He had stored some useful things in his car because he was very quick to learn that with Blaine, he always needed to be prepared. They were always feisty and he was realizing, he didn't mind it as much as he had with his ex-boyfriends.

However, he didn't want Blaine to think he was rushing for him. So he forced himself to wait outside the door for a number of minutes, until he heard Blaine let out a loud whine from inside the room, clearly impatient waiting for him to return. Kurt smiled to himself.

He opened the door and stepped inside, clearly ready to take back control but pausing in his tracks when he found his boyfriend fully naked on the chaise. Though Blaine had replaced his bound wrists above his head, which gave Kurt a sudden image of exactly how talented the man he loved was. It appeared that even though he was now naked, the other man had behaved himself and not moved like Kurt had told him.

"How did you…" he started, wondering exactly how Blaine had pulled it off.

The curly haired man gave the other a seductive look. "You should close your mouth love," he said. "The only thing I want slipping in there is my cock."

Kurt tightened his grip on the items in his hands. Blaine was making it increasingly more difficult for him to regain control. He shut his eyes for a beat, drawing a deep breath before he crossed the room and once more, straddled his boyfriend.

"I thought I told you to behave," Kurt said. He tsked yet again. "Now I'm going to have to add to your punishment." He grabbed one of the items he'd brought, which he'd set on the floor beside them. "Raise your head for me please." Blaine did as he was told, looking at Kurt with lust blown pleading eyes. The taller man slipped a strap over his boyfriend's head and fixed the ball at the front in the man's mouth. He grinned to himself. "Now, you need to be a good boy, but I still want to see you beg."

Blaine wondered for a moment how he was supposed to beg, now that the ball gag was in his mouth and when the hell had Kurt gotten one of these things? He'd had no idea the other man was interested in things becoming this kinky. But you learned something new about those you loved everyday, right?

Kurt began his attack, by slowly kissing down the other's chest, taking a moment to pay attention to each of the other man's nipples, causing Blaine to whine with want and need. It took everything the younger man had to not arch off the chaise, and push himself into the other's mouth.

The pale man's kisses stopped at the waist, just before Blaine's hips dipped into that V. Kurt sat back up, straddling his boyfriend's legs and raised his hands to the top button of his own dress shirt, intending to give the other a show.

"Do you want me to remove it Blaine?" he asked in a low voice. Blaine growled through the gag, following it with a whine. "Nod or shake your head please," Kurt added, using a politely authoritative sounding voice. It was at that moment, the other wondered if Kurt might have had a stint in BDSM or something. Maybe he would ask him later. Either way, everything his boyfriend did was turning him on even more. "Blaine?" Kurt questioned.

It wasn't until then that the curly haired man realized that he had yet to fully respond to the other and he nodded his head quickly.

Kurt licked his lips and slowly undid his shirt, one button at a time, until it was able to just slide right off him.

Blaine whined, lowering his bound hands to make grabby hands at the other and Kurt chuckled. "Like what you see?" he asked, and again, Blaine nodded. He was starting to get the idea here. "Good boy," Kurt said, leaning forward again to pepper Blaine's chest with kisses, and shuffling forward just a bit so that his fully clothed cock pressed right into his boyfriend's naked and erect one. Blaine groaned around the ball gag at just that little bit of friction.

The other had just lowered his hands to slowly remove his own pants, bringing them one step closer to where they were headed when he heard the handle on the door jiggle. It struck him at that moment that he had forgotten to relock the door, mainly due to being stunned by finding Blaine completely naked in front of him.

"Wait!" Kurt shouted, just as the door sprung open to reveal Santana and Brittany standing outside. Both men froze, as did the two women for just a moment.

"Wanky!" Santana said, smirking, clearly feeling that this might be great blackmail material in the future, even if Kurt and Blaine were the last couple she would ever want to blackmail. You couldn't help but love them.

Blaine's eyes had gone wide and they were alternating between the ball gag in his mouth and the two girls in the doorway.

"Dolphins!" Brittany clapped happily. Clearly, the blonde hadn't grasped the severity of the situation. And clearly, neither woman was as humiliated as the men both were. "Sanny, can we play with the dolphins?"

Santana didn't get a chance to answer because Kurt did it for her, finding his voice. "Oh no no no, no playtime with us." He laughed a little nervously.

The Latina wrapped a hand around Brittany's arm and very gently began to lead her back to the door. "No Brit Brit," she said softly. "We can't play with the dolphins right now. Besides, no offense to them because they both look like delicious fun, but I'm not really interested in sharing my playtime with them."

It wasn't just about wanting Brittany all to herself for Santana. Part of it was her way of an eye for an eye. Basically, she was repaying the favor for when Kurt had supported her after that fight with Sebastian in the race. One of her many ways of showing that she may be a bitch, but she was indeed grateful to him for not outing her. Especially when she wasn't ready.

Kurt gave her a silent look of thanks, feeling like on some level, he and Santana understood each other in a way only two people from the same community could. He knew that Blaine would understand it just as well.

Santana threw the couple another smirk, for once being respectful by not taking an eyeful. Afterwards, she gently lead Brittany from the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

The two men stayed still for another moment before Blaine suddenly wriggled beneath Kurt, drawing the other man's attention to the fact that the man beneath him was still hard, despite just having been walked in on by a couple of women.

It was enough to make Kurt forget that he should have gotten up to lock the door this time and he pulled the ball gag out of Blaine's mouth for a moment, only so he could lean down and kiss him. He didn't let it linger though, pulling away too soon for Blaine's liking and the darker man whined in protest, already accustomed to not being able to actually talk. Kurt replaced the gag before he had a chance to realize it was really out.

Sitting back up, the taller man returned his hands to his pants, slowly undoing the belt and dropping it to the floor. Blaine whined beneath him, causing Kurt to smirk.

"Soon baby, very soon," he said softly, moving his hands to the waist of his dress pants again, slowly unbuttoning them and pulling down the zipper.

Here was where things might have gotten tricky, but not for one Kurt Hummel, who had yet to show Blaine just how flexible he was.

He started to push both his pants and his underwear down, not moving from straddling the other man. Instead, he locked his eyes on Blaine and brought one leg up to rest on the arm of the chaise beside the other's head. Blaine whined again, feeling the smoothness of Kurt's skin against his arm, his wrists still above his head because he didn't dare to move them.

The pale man halted a moment, before moving his other leg to rest on the other side of Blaine's head. And then, he leaned forward into the stretch, pushing down his pants and underwear. Because of his position, the fabric rustled over Blaine, tickling at his skin as it passed down and finally, Kurt kicked the last of it off onto the floor behind the arm of the chaise. He was now just as naked as the man beneath him and slowly returned his legs to his previous position.

Blaine whined with need beneath him, head turning to spot the bottle of lube among the stuff on the floor. Kurt leaned over slowly and picked it up.

"Is this what you want sweetie?" he teased, shaking the bottle back and forth slightly. The curly haired man whined and nodded his head eagerly. "Is it really?" Kurt prodded. Blaine nodded his head even more eagerly, growling beneath the gag. He brought his bound hands forward and tried his best to plead with them. Kurt felt his cock get impossible harder.

But instead of popping the cap open on the bottle, he set it aside again and picked something else up. "Do you know what this is?" he asked as he held it up.

Blaine's eyes went wide as they focused on the sex toy his boyfriend held in his hand. He was very aware of what the thing was, though no one had ever used one on him before. And he wasn't sure he would let anyone else use one on him. But with Kurt, he felt secure enough to do anything and that included this particular kind of play.

"You wanted to beg, so I will make you beg for everything," Kurt said. "Including your release." He lowered his hand and gently took hold of Blaine's cock, giving it a few good strokes and pulling another whine from the man beneath him, before sliding the toy, a cock ring, down the man's shaft. Before he'd been with Blaine, Kurt would have never considered orgasm denial to be sexy, but something just brought out the animal in him when he was with the curly haired man.

This time, the two men were so focused on their actions, with Blaine whining and wiggling, and Kurt trying to hold him still. Blaine was in that whining and pleading state more now that he could feel Kurt's cock rubbing against his own, which was now restricted from exploding. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to stand it. He wondered if it was possible to get so hard, you managed to come even with the cock ring. He didn't have time to figure it out.

The door suddenly opened a second time and it wasn't until a startled cry filled the room that both men were alerted to it.

"Oh my God!" Burt Hummel stood stock still in the doorway, having just walked in on his son in a position he had never wanted to find him. Even with their torturing each other with tales from their sex lives. Hearing about it was one thing, something that Burt had come to be okay with these days. But actually seeing it…

Kurt felt his whole body heat up. There was absolutely nothing more mortifying than being walked in on by your parents. He was completely still and felt the blood drain from his cock as it rushed up to flush his face. He wasn't hard anymore. And he could tell by where he was sitting, that neither was Blaine. The situation had effectively killed their erections. The pale man swallowed.

"Is that a cock ring?" came Carole's voice. And Kurt found himself even more mortified that she seemed to not be embarrassed by the situation, but instead, intrigued. She was looking at the toy wrapped around Blaine's cock with interest. "Maybe I ought to get one of those for you Burt, increase your stamina," she added.

"Oh my God!" This time, it was Kurt who spoke the words. And this time, it was Burt who felt his face flush with heat.

An awkward silence hung in the room for a moment, broken only by Carole's soft chuckle.

That was when Kurt seemed to remember himself. He carefully slid off of his boyfriend, his face still red, but now with anger, and grabbed his dress shirt to hold in front of himself.

"Out! OUT, OUT, OUT! GET OUT!" Kurt yelled. He hurried forward quickly, pressing his parents to back out of the room and then slammed the door and locked it behind them. Turning around to slide down to the floor against it, shutting his eyes.

Several beats of silence passed before Kurt started chuckling, the laughter growing, causing Blaine to stare at him like he was crazy for a moment, but the darker man held his wrists out and whined one more time.

That was all it took for Kurt to come down from his embarrassed laughter fit. He stood again and moved to unbind and ungag his boyfriend. Blaine turned on his side on the chaise.

"I think we're both scarred for life," he said. Kurt just nodded. So much for that private moment. Blaine just smiled at him. "You do realize that you have to go on the race with me now, just so we can have some privacy?"

Both men were silent for a moment, before bursting into giggles and getting dressed.

…

"Is that Hunter?" Kurt asked Finn a couple weeks later. His new stepbrother was staying with him in New York for a few days, supposedly so they could bond, though the taller man had spent more time with Rachel than him. The petite diva had rehearsal today, however, so Finn was hanging out with Kurt.

Finn had been channel surfing as Kurt prepared dinner, when he happened on a news station, and there on the screen was an all too familiar buzzcut. Kurt turned the volume up so they could hear the news story.

"...indicted on fraud and embezzlement charges. Clarington appears in this season of The Amazing Race, where rumor has it he caused quite a controversy, along with his teammate, Sebastian Smythe. The show airs tonight…"

Kurt flicked the TV off. "I wonder if that was why he cheated? To pay back the money he stole."

His stepbrother only shrugged as they sat down to eat. "Did you hear about Jesse?" the younger man asked.

"No, what?" Kurt inquired.

"He was kicked out of NYADA! They found out he'd been paying some kid with an IQ off the charts to do his academic work."

Kurt smirked. "I bet Rachel is happy about that."

Although Kurt hadn't liked the woman very well while they had been on the race, he had gotten to know her a little better since she and Finn had been unofficially dating. She was still a spoiled diva, but his stepbrother seemed to have a calming effect on her, and she was slightly less annoying than before.

Finn gave him that goofy grin of his. "She might have been the one to let it slip to the admissions board."

Kurt laughed as they focused on their food for a few minutes. "Have you heard from any of the other racers?" Finn asked.

Kurt nodded. "I saw Dave a few days ago. He was in town for his Good Morning America interview. He has a new boyfriend, that Totally Gay Warbler from Russia. They've been dating for a few months, apparently."

"Cool," Finn said, taking a bite of his stir fry. "So, what do you think about my mom and your dad going on the Amazing Race again?"

Kurt shrugged. He hadn't told anyone that he and Blaine would be joining again as well. "I'm happy for them. I'm a little worried about my dad's heart, but the doctor said everything was looking good. And apparently the race is less stressful than running for congress!"

His dad had announced his candidacy a few weeks after they'd returned, and while the polls showed him with a marginal lead, his opponent had launched a smear campaign, bringing up everything from Burt's heart condition to Kurt's sexuality. Burt had refused to be baited, though, and had run a campaign on facts and information.

The two men spent the rest of the evening just relaxing and talking, getting to know each other a little better. All in all, Kurt was glad their parents had gotten together. Finn wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was kind, and it was almost impossible not to like him.

…

The next six weeks seemed to fly by. Kurt had spent Christmas Eve and the day before in Michigan with Blaine and Cooper. Their parents were supposed to have been there, but had conveniently been summoned to some important meeting. In the Bahamas.

It had been nice spending two days practically glued to his boyfriend's side, but it had been almost torture to leave again Christmas morning, but he had promised his dad he'd be home for Christmas Dinner with Carole and Finn. It had been really nice being home for those few days.

On New Years Eve, he had been in Chicago for Mike and Tina's wedding. It had been an interesting event; the bride wore black, not because of her goth style, but because it was the traditional wedding color in Korea, where Tina's grandparents were originally from. She had agreed to have a traditional Asian wedding, but the reception was all goth, with a black, spider web draped cake, and smoking purple punch.

It was mid January now, and he was flying from New York to San Francisco, where he would meet Blaine to start the new season of The Amazing Race. He had no idea who else would be joining them, although when he'd talked to Marley, Phil's PA, a few days ago, she had hinted that some of the racers might be familiar.

Blaine was waiting for him when he landed, along with Artie, the other PA he'd met last season.

"Gentlemen," Artie said. "The shuttle bus is waiting to take you to the hotel. We're doing things slightly different this time around. You'll be meeting with Phil and the other racers this evening. I know we don't usually allow you all to mingle before we start filming, but under the circumstances…"

The four eyed production assistant cut himself off. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other. "What circumstances?" Kurt asked.

The PA just grinned. "You'll find out shortly. Let's not keep everyone waiting."

Burt and Carole were waiting beside the shuttle bus when they arrived, having just arrived from Columbus. Kurt had known about his dad and stepmother coming back, but Blaine was surprised to see them there. He smiled and hugged the elder Hummel and Carole.

"I'm so glad you two are going to be there too!" Blaine said, truly happy to see them, despite what happened the last time they had all been in the same place. Burt had flushed a little at the sight of him, but none of them mentioned the dressing room incident.

Artie urged them to board the shuttle, and once his wheelchair was locked into place, they pulled away from the curb.

The two couples chatted with each other and the PA, trying to get more information out of him, but the man would only grin and say "Wait and see."

They pulled up at the hotel, and were led to a conference room, where they got their first surprise. Finn and Rachel were sitting at the long table, backpacks in front of them.

"Finn?" Carole said, shocked to see her son sitting there.

The tall man grinned sheepishly. "Hi mom!"

Kurt looked at the girl beside his stepbrother. "Rachel, what are you doing here? What about Fanny?"

Rachel shrugged and leaned into Finn. "What can I say, I'm in love! Besides, the producers are worried that now that last season has aired, numbers will drop. I got a really good review for my opening night. The last thing they want is for the attitude I had during that race to contradict peoples' judgment of my character and cause them to decide not to come and see the show for themselves." She paused a moment. "Also, I can better promote Broadway Bitches to the country from in front of a camera."

Kurt rolled his eyes. He'd been pleased when the diva had started the doggy day care, even if it had been a publicity stunt to try and redeem her image before the race had aired, but the stunt had almost backfired when the woman had been dragged down the street by a pack of dogs.

He would have said something, but the conference room door opened again, and another couple entered. "Tina! Mike!" Kurt said, hugging the new arrivals. "I thought you were supposed to be on your honeymoon!"

The goth Asian girl laughed. "We are! We're Honeymooning on the race! I can't believe you all are here! Do you think everyone is coming back?"

Blaine laughed and hugged her too. "I doubt everyone will return," he said, tactfully not mentioning Jesse in front of the Jewish Diva.

Kurt nodded. "I know Dave and Azimio won't be here. Azimio just got a walk on tryout with an NFL team, and Dave has been busy moving cross country to be with his boyfriend, the Totally Gay Warbler. I still have no clue what his name is."

The door opened once more. "Mercedes! Sam!" Several voices called out, and more hugs were exchanged. Over the next half hour, three more teams arrived. Will and Emma, Nick and Jeff, and Santana, who had a new partner, Brittany.

"Where's Quinn?" Kurt asked.

"She didn't want to leave Beth again," The Latina said. "And after Finn introduced her to his friend, Puck, at your dad's wedding, they started dating."

"That's great!" Kurt said. "I wonder who else is going to be here?"

The door opened again, and this time it was the host who entered. "Hello everyone! Welcome back!"

There was a general chorus of greeting for the man, although Santana had something more specific in mind.

"So help me, Phil, if I so much as see a single piece of hay on this race, I'm going to shove it up your…"

"Anyway!" Kurt cut her off, "I get that since we all know each other already, there is no reason to keep us separated, but knowing the race as well as I do, I get the suspicion that this isn't the only thing that has changed."

Finn had been looking around the room at all the racers gathered there. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we a few teams short?" he asked.

Phil smiled at both men. "You are correct, both of you. Let me introduce you to the other three teams. A couple of them may seem familiar to at least some of you! Gentlemen?"

Wes and David entered the room, and Blaine jumped to his feet to greet his two best friends. "You bastards! You didn't tell me you were coming on the race!"

"We didn't know you were going to be on this season!" David informed him.

"We auditioned while you were filming last season!" Wes added.

Phil waved in the next team. Kurt noticed that Will seemed to be looking at the woman as if he recognized her, but wasn't sure where from.

"Everyone, this is Terri Delmonico and Howard Bamboo, From Iowa City, Iowa."

"Terri?" Will said. "Not the Terri Delmonico from The Honey Tones?"

The woman looked him over. "No way! You're Will Schuester, from Fluid Sound!"

Emma frowned at the two of them. "You know each other?"

"Our show choirs competed against against each other back in high school," Will said.

"I had the biggest crush on you back then," Terri admitted.

"Oh, uh, thanks?" Will said, putting his arm around Emma's shoulders.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Phil cleared his throat. "And our last team, from New York, Adam Crawford and Chandler Kiehl."

Blaine felt Kurt stiffen beside him at the names. He glanced at the pale man who seemed to have gone even whiter. "Kurt?" Blaine asked in concern, taking a hold of his boyfriend's hand, an action which for a moment, the other seemed oblivious of.

"Not again." Kurt's voice came out in a whisper.

Everyone in the room, except Burt, had stilled and turned to look at him, completely missing the moment the team walked in.

"What do you mean, not again?" Blaine asked.

Kurt finally moved, turning to look at the man next to him. "Last time, when my dad and I found out Karofsky and Azimio were on the race, I was scared because Karofsky had made my life a living hell. Now, I'm scared again, because running a race against those two will be a living hell."

Blaine was quiet for a beat, not at all entirely sure what this meant. It was Adam who broke the silence.

"Hello Kurt," he said. "I told you we would meet again, and the fates have brought us together once more."

Chandler was quick to jump in. "Now, now Adam, how do you know the fates haven't brought him back to me?" he asked, an oddly overly excited chirp to his voice. Chandler was the kind of person that seemed to get over excited about everything, whether it was negative or positive.

Kurt felt Blaine's hand tighten just a bit and the curly haired man stood up and cleared his throat. "Fate hasn't brought him to either of you. He's with me," he said, his tone firm and bordering on the edge of finality.

Phil glanced from Kurt and Blaine to Adam and Chandler and back again. "Wait, you know them too?" he asked Kurt.

Kurt's single three word sentence reply chilled the air in the room and several people threw up invisible walls of protection. "They're my ex-boyfriends."

Another awkward silence fell over the room, this time broken when the door opened again, and Phil's assistant, Marley rushed in, whispering urgently to the host, who frowned, and then excused himself.

The moment he was out the door, nine pairs of eyes narrowed at the two new racers. Kurt couldn't bring himself to look at the other two men.

Burt Hummel was the first to stand from the table. He knew very well what these two men had done to his son. Adam had seemed like a nice guy, the kind that was too good to be true, which was exactly what he was. Chandler, he had seemed like a nice guy too, until he proved to be the clingy type who would stop at nothing to make sure your admiration and attention was all about him.

The older Hummel cleared his throat. "If either of you comes anywhere near my son, I won't hesitate to hit you upside the head with a tire iron." His eyes narrowed in on Chandler. "And I know you don't want that again."

The shorter of the two men flinched and rubbed the back of his head.

Adam however, wasn't phased. He narrowed his eyes right back at Burt. "As if they would allow you to bring one on the race," he quipped.

Burt stood his ground. "Maybe not, but I ran this race once already, and I know for a fact anything is possible, and I wouldn't doubt there's a chance I can get my hands on one somewhere."

The two men were quiet after that, as Burt sat back down beside Carole, who rubbed his back. But the rest of the racers weren't done with Adam and Chandler it seemed.

"Ah hell to the no!" Mercedes bit out, hands on her hips as she stood from the table. "You two boys have obviously messed up that white boy's life enough. You got some nerve coming in here and trying to get between my boy and his boo. I may not be a fighter, but I won't hesitate to clock you one if I see any funny business."

Before Adam or Chandler could respond, another voice piped up. "I'm from the wrong side of the tracks," Santana stated, both hands resting palm flat on the table. "Now, the way I see it, you have two choices. You can leave Porcelain and his sexy hobbit alone, or I can crack one of your nuts, right or left. Your choice. Also, I have razor blades in my hair." She leaned forward. "Oh, and if you think you're going to sneak around with messing with them," she added, bringing a hand up to tap her forehead. "My psychic Mexican third eye is watching you."

Both men looked a little pale at the two women's threats, but once again the door opened, and a rather harried Phil re-entered. "Okay, so apparently, we have another new team joining us this season. From Boca Raton, Sue and Becky."

All the racers from the previous season looked to the door in shock as the tall blonde woman in the familiar tracksuit and the diminutive blonde girl in a cheerleading outfit burst into the room. The new racers obviously couldn't see what the problem was.

"I'm on the race!" Becky cheered, blowing the whistle around her neck.

Santana stood up again. "What the hell are you doing here Sue?" It suddenly became apparent to all that they all had encountered the woman somewhere along the previous season.

Sue sneered at the lot of them. "Well Tweedle Fake Boobs, I'm afraid that information is classified. But I assure you and Tweedle Dumb over there, it has nothing to do with you." She glanced around at the returning players.

"Wait," Kurt said. "You actually know this woman? You didn't just run into her somewhere?"

The blonde woman replied before Santana could get another word in. "Sandbags over there used to be the bottom of my pyramid. Perhaps if she hadn't become Tweedle Fake Boobs, she would have been a high flyer rather than a hole digger." Santana glared at the woman, who returned her gaze to the group as a whole. "Let's see, other than Tweedle Fake Boobs, we have Frankenteen, Man Hands, Fish Lips, Aretha, Asian, Other Asian, Buttchin, Doe-Eyed Ginger, Baboon Heart Hummel, Donkey Wife, and Phineas and Ferb," she noted, glancing at Nick and Jeff on the last one. "Am I missing anyone?"

Aside from the new people, and Kurt and Blaine, she had insulted every single person in the room.

"I see we're missing Buttchin's Diva son, Clariton, and Meerkat. Also Teen Mom isn't here either."

"Clarington's in prison," Kurt deadpanned.

"I knew I should have gotten to that strip search," Sue commented, snapping her fingers.

Kurt frowned at the woman, still not sure what to make of her. Why had she given him that brooch in India? And why were he and Blaine the only ones she hadn't singled out besides the new teams?

Phil clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay, so, there was a reason I wanted to bring you all in before we start the race."

They all settled down at the table, and turned to the host. "First off, you need to know that there will be some changes to the way things are going to happen. The rules regarding penalties for non elimination legs are different, although I won't reveal exactly what changes have been made until they come up on the race."

The teams exchanged looks, wondering what exactly would be required of them if they had the misfortune of coming in last on a non elimination.

"Also, since we have an extra team this year," he glanced uneasily at Sue and Becky, "there will be a double elimination at some point. Again, we won't announce exactly when until the beginning of that leg."

There were a few murmurs at this, but for the most part they all seemed to agree with this change. Once they settled down, Phil continued. "There will be some other surprises along the way, so be prepared for anything. We'll begin tomorrow morning, and you will receive your first surprise at the starting line. Any questions?"

No one said anything, and Phil nodded. "Okay, the production assistants will show you to your rooms. I suggest you all get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for you all."

Once alone in their room, Kurt backed Blaine up to the bed, kissing him hard. "Finally!" he said.

Blaine laughed. "Yes. Finally! Alone. You know what this means?"

Kurt grinned. "Are you thinking the same thing I am?"

"That depends on what you are thinking?"

"That I get to be Big Spoon."

Blaine laughed, and soon both men were sound asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

…

They arrived at the base of Lombard Street shortly before eleven the next morning, and lined up as instructed, looking up at Phil, who smiled at all of them in return.

"Well, here we go again! Are you all ready for this?"

After a chorus of yeses. Phil continued.

"Behind me is Lombard Street, known as the crookedest street in the world. When I give the signal, you will race to the top of the street to where your packs and first clue are waiting for you. Once you collect them, you will have to find your own way on public transportation to San Francisco International. And," he paused, dramatically, "The first team to check in for the first flight to your first destination will receive a surprise!"

An excited murmur went through the racers. "Racers Ready! Travel safe!"

The twelve teams all hunched into position to take off, twenty four pairs of eyes narrowed in focus.

Phil glanced around at them once more…"GO!"


	2. Aww, Look, It's Baby Phil!

**Chapter One**

**Aww, Look, It's Baby Phil!**

"This is Lombard Street, in San Francisco, California. This will be the starting line for this special edition of The Amazing Race. Twelve teams of two are making their way here by Double-Decker tour bus. You'll recognize some of the teams from last season. They are; Tina and Mike, recently married veterinary intern and choreographer from Chicago, Illinois."

…

"_We can't wait to race again! Last time was so incredible!" Tina said, smiling happily at the camera as she snuggled close to Mike. "This time it will be like a Honeymoon for us!"_

_Mike laughed and leaned in to kiss her. "It doesn't matter if we get eliminated first, or if we go all the way. The only thing that matters is that we're doing this together."_

…

"Will and Emma, engaged educators from Des Moines, Iowa."

…

"_I wasn't sure about coming on the race again," Emma said, her soft voice even, but tinged with a hint of nerves. "But I've come a long way in my therapy, and I've learned several techniques to help me keep from freaking out, and I want to prove to myself that this is something that I can overcome."_

_Will hugged her and smiled at the camera. "That's my girl!"_

…

"Boyfriends, Nick and Jeff, a children's author and kindergarten teacher from San Francisco, California."

…

"_Last time, we didn't get very far," Nick said, arm around his boyfriend's shoulder. "This time I'm hoping to at least pass where we got eliminated last time."_

_Jeff smiled. "It'd be great to win, of course, but for us it's more about the thrill of pushing our limits!"_

…

"Sam and Mercedes, a dating model and singer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee."

…

"_My friends finally understand that Sam and I are a couple, despite our differences, and they've come to accept our relationship," Mercedes said, smiling at the blonde man beside her. _

"_They've even given me a nickname," Sam said, grinning. "They call me 'White Chocolate!'"_

…

"Also returning this season, with new partners, are; recently married widow and widower, Burt and Carole, a mechanic and nurse from Lima, Ohio."

…

"_Carole and I each ran the race with our kids last time, and when we met, we felt a deep connection." Burt said, holding his wife's hand. "Not being spring chickens anymore, we knew we didn't want to waste too much time, so I asked her to marry me in the next to last leg."_

"_I said yes, of course. It's not often you get a second chance at a Happily Ever After." Carole smiled and gave Burt a quick peck on the lips._

…

"Santana and Brittany, a cheerleader and mathematician from Miami, Florida."

…

"_Hi, welcome to Fondue for Two. I'm your host, Brittany S. Pierce. Today's guests are Santana Lopez, and the strangers with the video cameras and microphones." Brittany said. The blonde girl must have thought since the camera was on, her show was on the air. "Our first topic," she continued, looking at Santana. "What do you think of the protest started by the monkeys at the Portland Zoo?"_

_Santana just smiled sweetly at the blonde woman. "Honey, this isn't your internet blog, this is our confessional for The Amazing Race."_

"_Oh. Does that mean I'm supposed to get on my knees and confess what we did at the hotel last night?"_

…

"Finn and Rachel, recently dating student teacher and Broadway actress from Eerie, Indianna."

…

"_I freely admit that my appearance on the last season may have given a bad impression," Rachel said looking straight into the camera with a sincere look upon her face. "I truly apologize for my behavior, and hope I can prove to you all that I'm not some selfish diva, constantly whining and making demands."_

_Finn smiled at her. "I promise she'll show the world the real Rachel Berry this time!"_

…

"And Kurt and Blaine, dating long distance, a Vogue commentator and singer/songwriter, From New York, New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan."

…

"_Winning The Amazing Race with my dad last time was a once in a lifetime experience," Kurt said. "Or so I thought, until I was offered the chance to return, this time with Blaine. You don't ever come on a competition like this and expect to meet your soulmate, but that is what happened with us!"_

_Blaine grinned. "The moment I saw him at the starting line, I said to myself, 'oh, there you are! I've been looking for you forever!'"_

…

"And joining our returning racers are four all new teams. They are; Best friends and former roommates, Wes and David, a lawyer and medical intern from Grand Rapids, Michigan."

…

"_We originally applied for the show at the same time as our friend, Blaine, but didn't get an audition until this season," Wes explained. _

"_We were so excited when Blaine got on the show, and now we're all running this together!" David added. "But of course, we have to beat him!" the darker man laughed. _

_Wes nodded and grinned. "He doesn't need to win, he got something much more valuable than money on the last race!"_

…

"Coworkers from Iowa City, Iowa, Terri and Howard."

…

"_I'm the assistant manager of the store, and I work long hours." Terri said, glaring at the camera. "I'm not built to be working four hours a day, three days a week! I deserve to win the million dollars so I can cut back to two hours a day, two days a week!"_

_Howard just looked at the camera. "I like doing inventory."_

…

"Associates, Adam and Chandler, from Brooklyn, New York."

…

"_I'm in this race to win back the only man I've ever really loved," Adam said in his British accent, a look of determination in his eyes. "I don't care what it takes to get him back, I'll lie, cheat and steal to win his heart again!"_

"_Not if I win him back first!" Chandler said, all but bouncing in his seat. "I dated him first, after all!"_

…

"And Sue and Becky, friends from Boca Raton, Florida!"

…

"_Yes, peasants, it is I, Sue Sylvester, six time National Cheerleading Champion Coach. I have come to liven up your miserable lives! Watch as I win this pathetic excuse for a race, because I am a winner!"_

"_That's right, Bitches!" Becky said, and blew her whistle._

…

"Which one of these teams will Win the Amazing Race? Stay tuned to find out!"

...

Kurt's eyes rose to the top of the crooked street for a moment as Phil was talking. He glanced along the group of racers and frowned. Getting to the top of this hill was going to be a workout, and there were some teams that might get slowed up behind. But no one said any part of the race was meant to be easy. He just hoped his dad would be okay. He glanced at the older man on the far left of the line up.

Nick and Jeff were on Kurt and Blaine's right and the blonde man leaned forward a little bit to whisper to them. "Stick with us and we'll get you there." Kurt could only smile at him. It was really nice of Nick and Jeff to help them out. They had home court advantage for the start of the race this time. Just like Kurt knew the best way to get to the airport in New York, they would know how to get to the San Francisco airport on public transportation.

On Phil's call to go, Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand and lead the charge up the hill. Damn, San Francisco had a right to be named the city of hills. It was known for some of the steepest hills, that you needed stairs to climb. This was a workout even for someone who was in shape. It definitely was a battle to get to the top first.

Kurt looked behind him to see there were teams already slowing down in the climb. Nick and Jeff were still even with him and Blaine though, even a little bit ahead and they were gesturing to them to come on and follow them.

The pale man could hear a dinging sound like a bell as he and Blaine approached the top. He heard Nick and Jeff calling out for something to wait as they grabbed their bags and ran across the street waving their arms.

As he and Blaine reached their own bags, he could see Nick and Jeff waving to them from a cable car. Kurt had never been on one before, but San Francisco was famous for them as well.

"Come on!" Blaine shouted to Kurt. "We can't hold them up. We can read the clue as soon as we get on." Kurt nodded and ran to catch up, as Nick and Jeff gave the two of them a hand up.

Kurt pumped a fist in the air triumphantly as the cable car set off from the stop just as Adam and Chandler reached the top of the hill. At least he wouldn't be stuck with his exes on this part of the trip. That was the last thing he wanted.

Blaine tapped Kurt on the shoulder and the pale man turned back to his boyfriend, who was crowded around one of the poles on the outer footboard of the cable car. He had the clue and when Kurt stepped a little closer, he ripped it open.

"Fly to Christchurch, New Zealand. You may only book tickets on one of these three flights," they read together.

The two of them grinned at each other. "Phil gets to go home!" Kurt shouted. And both men burst into laughter.

Some of the passengers on the cable car were just a little bit frustrated that they were crammed with four people from a production crew, which kind of made everyone have to squish in even more and Kurt heard someone say something along the lines of, "This isn't BART, so it shouldn't be used like a sardine can!" The pale man glanced to Nick and Jeff in confusion.

"BART is Bay Area Rapid Transit," Jeff supplied. "During rush hours, it's usually packed like a can of sardines. However, those trains in like, India, or those countries where they have people hired to shove people into trains, make BART look spacious."

"Probably the only train that is likely to not be as crowded during these times, is the Dublin/Pleasanton train," Nick added. "But don't worry, we're not in the rush hour period right now," he said. "Though we do need a San Francisco Airport train, which will probably have quite a few people on it."

Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other. "So we just have to take this BART straight to the airport?" Blaine asked. Nick and Jeff nodded. "How do we get there?"

Jeff grinned. "This cable car goes all the way down to Powell and Market. An entrance to the Powell St. station is right there. So really, finding your way to SFO from Lombard Street isn't that hard if you know what you're doing."

"I am so glad we made friends with you guys," Kurt said. He'd be lying if he said that he was worried about trying to get there on public transportation. He knew how to get to JFK or LaGuardia using the subway and to him, that was easy. But it appeared it wasn't too hard in San Francisco either.

Nick and Jeff smiled at them."You might want to get a clipper card, it's used for public transportation in the Bay Area in general. Sure, you'll only be using it once, but they're trying to get rid of paper tickets so it's probably smarter just to buy one anyway," he explained.

"How much is it?" Blaine asked.

"The card itself is only three dollars," Jeff said. "But then you load it with however much money you need. I usually just put twenty dollars at a time when I load mine."

For a moment, the four of them were quiet. Kurt was processing the information and thinking it would be useful should he ever come back to San Francisco, which was a possibility. After all, like New York City, it was a pro LGBT place. He could feel safe here.

As the cable car trundled down the track and came to a stop at a light, a loud burst of cheering came from their left and the four of them looked over. A group of kids and a couple of teachers were standing on some steps in front of a building grinning and screaming and cheering and laughing and Jeff waved at them.

"Those are my kindergartners," he said. "That's the school I work at."

…

"_I love my job, and those kids mean the world to me! I love seeing the look on their faces when they finally grasp whatever it is I'm trying to teach them, and how proud they are when they accomplish something on their own for the first time. Kids really are the future. We have to give them the tools they will need to make this world a better place for them and their children!"_

…

"That's so cute," Blaine said. "They're cheering for you. Look, they even made signs!" He pointed to one of the kids' signs that was drawn in crayon and said, 'Good luck running, Mr. Sterling!' It was one of the most adorable things the curly haired man had ever seen in his life.

The four racers waved to the kids as the light turned green and the cable car trundled away from the corner and the school.

...

Finn was standing awkwardly on the outside of the cable car, slightly hunched over. He had learned one thing in a matter of seconds. He was too tall to stand at full height on a cable car. He grumbled to himself.

"Were these things built for people that were only five feet tall or something?" he asked, thinking aloud rather than directing his question to anyone in particular.

"Actually," he heard that one Asian guy, Wes he thought his name was, say from nearby. "The cable cars have been a fixture of San Francisco for years. They were around in the early nineteen hundreds. The average height of people was a lot shorter back then."

Finn grumbled again. "They couldn't fix it to accommodate for height now?" he asked. His back was starting to ache from standing hunched over.

That was when a guy sitting on the bench behind him stood up. "Here, you can have my seat. You look like you're about to fall over and I wouldn't recommend falling off a cable car." The gentleman wrapped his hands around one of the poles and offered Finn a smile.

"Oh, thank you," Finn said, completely surprised. He took the man's seat and let out a sigh of relief. Rachel looked at him and then the man.

"I had no idea San Francisco could be so hospitable," she said. The gentleman chuckled.

"Despite the issues with homeless people and such, there are a few of us diamonds in the rough around here," he told her.

Rachel decided to take this as an opportunity. "Do you know how to get to San Francisco International Airport from here?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied. "When we get to the end of the line at Powell St, just go down into the BART station, which will be right there and catch a San Francisco Airport train. It will take you right there."

The petite brunette grinned. "Thank you so much, you've been so helpful!" She glanced over her shoulder to Wes and David. "Did you guys hear that?" she asked them. Seeing as this gentleman had been so generous to them, she was feeling like passing on some of the good will.

"We did!" David replied, nodding his head.

"Good," Rachel confirmed. This was starting out to be a good race so far. Even if she and Finn weren't in the lead.

…

"Will, this station is absolutely filthy!" Emma declared. Burt and Carole were just ahead of them as they entered the BART station. "Look, there's a homeless man sleeping over there," the redheaded woman said, grimacing in disapproval.

Burt chuckled a little bit. The whole prospect somehow didn't bother him. Probably because he'd seen much worse on the last race. "Trust me," he replied before Will could say anything. "With some of the stuff we might see on this race, that will seem pretty tame." It was a fair warning.

Emma's already large eyes got larger and Will put an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay Emma. Just remember your tricks and stay focused on our goals," he said.

"Right," Emma replied. "Right," she repeated.

The four of them moved into line at one of the ticket machines. Carole was glancing around the station, noting the entrance on one side to a shopping mall. "Let us hope Kurt doesn't get sidetracked by such easy access," she said with a laugh, pointing to the mall entrance.

Again, Burt chuckled. "Kurt may love shopping, but I know he's smart enough to remember his priorities," he said.

"It appears you're right," Will responded from behind them. He nodded to the gates where he had spotted Kurt and Blaine stepping onto the escalator to make their way down to the platform. "Guess we caught up with them."

Burt stepped up to the ticket machine and took out the money they'd been given for this leg of the race, checking the ticket price. "Nine dollars and sixty-five cents for a one-way ticket to the airport?" the man exclaimed. "Sheesh, why is it so much more expensive than everywhere else?"

"Maybe because it's going direct to the airport?" Carole suggested. Burt shrugged and bought two tickets, handing one to his wife.

The Hudson-Hummel couple waited for Will and Emma to get their tickets, deciding it was better to try and figure this out with four heads, rather than just two. Maybe they would see Kurt and Blaine on the platform down below. Maybe they would get on the same train as them. Burt had to admit, it was a little strange having his son as his competitor in the race this time, when the two of them had won their previous race together. But running it with Carole was already turning out to be so much fun. They had something in common here. Both having run in the previous race with their kids, who were both running in this race with a different partner.

Once Will and Emma had their tickets, the four of them made their way through the gate.

"I didn't expect San Francisco to be so busy," Emma stated.

"Well," Burt said. "Some people like to refer to it as the New York City of the west coast." He glanced back at the redheaded woman as they stepped onto the escalator. "It's the biggest tourist spot in Northern California."

"And now we have to leave so soon," Carole said with an overexaggerated sigh. But her own facade was broken by her sudden burst of laughter. "Though I do intend to one day come here again. To really experience San Francisco."

Burt nodded. "I'm pretty sure Kurt has the same idea," he said.

As they reached the platform, they heard an automated announcement. "Ten car train for San Francisco Airport now approaching platform one."

"Perfect timing," Burt chuckled and the four of them moved forward to stand behind the yellow line as the train came into the station.

…

"I have bad balance," Howard said as his foot slipped from the outer footboard on the cable car. "That's why I could never be a dancer." Terri rolled her eyes at her partner.

"Seriously Howard? The only reason you are on this trip with me is because I'm going through that awful divorce and I needed a new partner. Standing on a cable car is not rocket science." She crossed her arms. "I'm on my feet four hours a day, three days a week at work. You think I'm built for standing on public transportation? But you don't see me complaining."

"Actually all I see is a honey badger and a panda wailing," came another voice. Terri and Howard turned to see Sue, standing on the floorboard, without even holding on. She was just perfectly balanced there. And Becky had her hand over her mouth to keep her laughter from bubbling out.

"Excuse me?" Terri said, staring at the woman.

"Did I stutter? All I see is a honey badger and a panda wailing. And to be honest, the sound is hurting my delicate auditory canals." She pointed to her ears. Terri just stared at her for a moment.

"What do you know? You're not even supposed to be here!" she replied.

Sue smirked. "That is where you're wrong honey badger. There's only one person in this world that is supposed to be everywhere. And her name is Sue Sylvester."

Howard was glancing all around him, and Terri turned to him with her free hand on her hip. "What are you doing now Howard?" she asked.

"Trying to find the panda. But I don't see one. I can't find it. I'm not so good at seeking games."

The other three just stared at him. There was no denying that Howard Bamboo could pass for dumber than dirt. It was Sue who broke the short period of silence.

"Panda, congratulations," she said. "You make Tweedle Dumb look like a genius."

"Oh snap!" Becky said, grinning.

Howard just groaned, looking down at the street below them as though admitting his defeat. Terri rolled her eyes again. This was going to be a very long race, especially if her partner was such an idiot. It made her wonder why she had never fired him. But then she remembered if she did, she wouldn't have anyone to do things for her. Like actually work.

…

"Oh my Gaga! Is that who I think it is?" Kurt said as the train pulled into the airport station.

"Who?" Jeff asked from just behind him.

"The guy with the beard and the TTOW t-shirt!" Kurt pointed to the two men waiting on the platform. "It is! It's the Hippies! BJ and Tyler from season nine!"

"Wow! They are legends on the race!" Blaine exclaimed as the doors opened. "I wish we had time to stop and talk to them!"

Jeff didn't seem as worried about hurrying along, and the moment he stepped off the train, called out. "BJ! Tyler! Loved you guys on The Amazing Race! Can't stop! We're racing this year!"

The two former racers waved at them. "We saw you on the last season! Good luck, Kurt, Blaine, Nick and Jeff!"

"Oh my gosh," Nick said. "They know who we are!"

Kurt laughed giddily, but remembered they were still in a race. "Come on, let's get on that first flight!"

Nick and Jeff lead the way through some doors to the international terminal. As they approached the Air New Zealand ticket counter, Nick and Jeff slowed down and let Kurt and Blaine go ahead of them. Kurt hesitated, since the other two had helped them out, but Nick just ushered them forward.

Reluctantly, Kurt stepped forward. "Hi, we need tickets to Christchurch, New Zealand."

The lady behind the counter, who had a race flag pinned to her uniform, smiled at them. "I'll need your passports, and credit card."

He handed over the requested items, and watched as she typed away at her computer. Once the tickets were printed up, she handed everything back to them, along with a familiar yellow race envelope. "Congratulations, you are the first team on the flight. I've been instructed to give you this."

They accepted the travel documents and the envelope, and stood aside for Nick and Jeff, opening the yellow envelope as Burt and Carole and Will and Emma caught up to them.

"It's an Express Pass!" Blaine exclaimed, looking at the yellow card.

…

"_An Express Pass allows a team to skip any one task during the race. A team must simply hand the pass to the official and they will hand them their next clue. The Express Pass Must be used by the end of the fifth leg."_

…

"Congratulations, Boo!" Mercedes said, spotting the Express Pass the other team was holding as she and Sam reached the ticket counter. The Diva was still trying to get her legs to stop shaking from racing up that ridiculous hill. She'd been surprised that she and Sam weren't dead last, and they had just managed to hop on a cable car as it began to pull away. Santana and Brittany and Adam and Chandler had been on the same cable car with them, but Tina and Mike had just missed it. The goth girl had gotten a cramp halfway to the top of the hill.

They'd been lucky enough to be seated next to an older lady who was very familiar with the town, and had given them instructions on how to reach the airport. Adam and Chandler must not have heard, though, because they got off two streets too soon.

She and Sam had Passed Terri and Howard at the entrance to the BART station. The other team appeared to be having difficulty figuring out the ticket machine, and the woman had been berating her partner for his incompetence.

Mercedes had glanced back, intending to say something to Santana and Brittany, but the other two women seemed to have gotten lost in the crowd. They caught up with Sue and Becky on the train, but hadn't seen any of the other teams until just now.

Wes and David and Finn and Rachel were just ahead of them at the ticket counter, and Sue and Becky were just behind.

A groan went up from Rachel when it was announced the first flight was full, although the woman didn't whine like she would have the previous season. The Jewish Diva really had settled down some.

…

"_We weren't around long enough to see everything that went down with Rachel last season," Mercedes said, arms crossed over her chest. "That was partly because she and that jerk she was with U Turned us in Portugal. But she seems to be trying to turn over a new leaf. We'll see how well that goes."_

…

Mercedes was worried that the second flight would be full by the time she and Sam reached the front of the line, but they managed to get on the flight, along with Sue and Becky (oh joy!). The last four teams must have decided to go to the Qantas ticket counter instead, because she didn't see them at all as they went through security.

...

All twelve teams caught up in the boarding area. There was an hour before the first flight departed, and most of the teams sat together as they talked, although a few teams stayed to themselves. Kurt could feel Adam and Chandler watching him from across the concourse.

He had deliberately sat with his back to them so he wouldn't have to look at the two men, but now felt an itch between his shoulders, and had to fight the urge to move. Santana seemed to notice his discomfort.

"Don't worry about them, Porcelain. I'll make sure they stay away from you." She sent the other men a death stare. Kurt was grateful to be surrounded by so many people who had his back.

"Thanks, Satan." He smiled at her. "Just go easy on the glare. We don't want them turning to ashes. Yet." He still felt uncomfortable, and decided to take a short walk. Blaine joined him, and they went into one of the duty free shops to browse. Kurt wished he'd been allowed to bring some of his own money. There had been an absolutely fabulous blue silk scarf on display that would have been perfect with the blue and silver vest Kurt had made.

As they walked back to their gate, Kurt spotted a woman wearing a LGBTQ+ flag pin on her very expensive looking business suit, and smiled at her. She was also wearing a very lovely diamond pendant. "I like your necklace," he told her. "It really makes your eyes pop!"

She smiled back at him. "Thank you! It was a gift from my grandson and his boyfriend."

Their flight was announced, and the four teams and their camera crews handed over their boarding passes and, waving goodbye to Mercedes, Sam, Tina, Mike and the rest of their friends, took their seats. They may have left the starting line more than two hours ago, but this officially felt like the beginning of the journey to Kurt.

…

"_All teams are now flying to Christchurch, New Zealand, on one of three flights. The first flight carries Kurt and Blaine, Nick and Jeff, Burt and Carole, and Will and Emma. The second flight has Finn and Rachel, Sue and Becky, Wes and David, and Sam and Mercedes, and is scheduled to land twenty minutes after the first. The last flight, which will land ten minutes after the second flight, carries Santana and Brittany, Tina and Mike, Adam and Chandler, and Terri and Howard._

"_Once they land, they will make their way by taxi to Taylors Mistake, a popular recreation area known for its beaches and beautiful cliff views."_

…

"I still don't get it," Finn said, drawing a growl of frustration from Wes, who had been trying to explain to the taller man about the international dateline.

"Give it up, Third Asian! Frankenteen will never understand without cave drawings!" Sue said from the row behind them on the second flight. The older woman had a sleep mask covering her eyes and earphones on, but apparently had still been listening to their conversation.

Finn frowned at the insult, but had to admit all this talk about Earth's rotation and circumnavigation just made his brain feel like mush. Rachel just smiled and patted his arm. "Don't listen to her. She's just jealous of anyone who is more talented than her, and so has to find ways of making them feel bad."

"Brilliant response Man Hands," the woman replied, not moving from her seat. "What, did you get a psychology degree in the few months you had off? Because the last time I checked, you were a small pond goldfish hanging by a metaphorical hook that was attached to your Broadway career. According to your reputation, Hades' three witches just about have that thread cut."

Wes frowned at the woman through the gap in the seats. "And just what kind of degree do you have that gives you the right to go around insulting everyone? You do know that legally speaking, each and everyone of them can sue you for defamation?"

Sue didn't seem to be phased by this either. Instead, she raised her sleep mask. "Is that so?" she asked Wes. "Well, do your worst, but might I remind you of your failed case with the guy who was clearly guilty as hell of scamming those old people and the mentally disabled, that got off scott free? At least he wasn't running for congress from prison."

Wes frowned at her. "How do you know about that? I was only an assistant on that case, and if the lead prosecutor had listened to me, that man would be in prison now."

"Ah, Third Asian, no one listens to their assistants. Ask Becky." She nodded her head to her partner. "The point is, it happened, and I know about it. So if you want to keep your clients instead of them deciding they don't want to be represented by a mediocre lawyer, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

David put a hand on his partner's shoulder and just shook his head. "Just ignore her. She's obviously crazy."

Sam leaned over from across the aisle. "At least we don't have to worry about her popping out of nowhere like last time. She scared the crap out of me in Portugal when we were carrying that stupid fish!"

"You saw her, too?" Rachel asked. "She was at Notre Dame when I was doing that candle Roadblock."

"I saw her twice! Once on the ferry from Sochi to Batumi, and again on the train in China! And then she was at the final Pit Stop!"

"I'm everywhere," Sue said, mask and earphones once again in place. "I see, hear, and smell everything!"

The others looked at her once more, and then at each other, before they all settled back into their seats, not speaking again for a long while.

…

There was one thing that Kurt hadn't admitted he was still haunted by. The face of a certain smirky little meerkat. Not that he had mentioned anything at the time, but Sebastian had warned Kurt that he was not going to give up that easily, and that he had no doubt that soon, Blaine would be his and Kurt would be stuck with khakis and that gay face. It was his response to Kurt whispering about his and Blaine's adventures in the mile high club.

He had elected not to tell Blaine. The last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to go around everywhere, constantly looking over his shoulder and expecting the meerkat to be there propositioning him. Though Kurt wasn't worried about losing Blaine. He knew there was no way that would ever happen. He had no doubt though, that Sebastian's words weren't just an empty threat. Somehow, he expected him to make good on his warning. Even though he hadn't seen the man since the finish line.

Blaine seemed oblivious to the extra tension that hung in the air. What better time to try and infiltrate them than on another race? Kurt tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand as they ran from the gate after getting off the flight.

He didn't have to be moving slow to spot him though. Sitting at a table at one of the airport restaurants and sipping from a coffee cup. Kurt could swear it was Sebastian, and that he was staring right at them.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice drew his attention back to the curly haired man and it was only then that he realized he'd come to a full stop. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just…" he trailed off, turning his head back to look at the Meerkat again. But the man at the table was gone, vanished without so much of a trace. It was almost as though Kurt had been expecting it so strongly, he had imagined seeing him sitting there.

…

"_I probably should have mentioned what I saw to Blaine, but why worry him when I'm not even sure what I saw was real," Kurt confided to the camera. "I'm pretty sure it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Between not sleeping well for months, and all the added stress I've been under, it's no wonder that I would hallucinate seeing my worst enemy."_

_..._

"Just what?" Blaine asked, his voice laced with concern.

Kurt shook his head. "Nothing. Come on. We've got a race to run," he said, pushing the incident aside and taking off at a run once more.

They got through customs, and found a taxi, still managing to be at the head of the pack despite Kurt's distraction. "Taylors Mistake, please!" Kurt instructed the driver.

As the taxi pulled away, Kurt settled in against Blaine and closed his eyes, letting the familiar comfort drive all negative thoughts from his mind. It was no wonder he had imagined he had seen the other man. He'd been under so much stress, and hadn't been sleeping well without his boyfriend there to make him feel safe. He had slept for almost nine hours on the flight from San Francisco with Blaine at his side, but it couldn't make up for the restless nights he'd had over the last nine months.

He must have dozed off leaning against the shorter man, because the next thing he knew, they were pulling up at a seaside overlook.

"Kurt? Sweetie? We're here. There's the clue box over there!"

He blinked and looked around. "Sorry, guess I needed a little more sleep!"

Blaine just smiled and kissed his forehead as they got out of the taxi. They reached the clue box just as the other three teams from their flight pulled up.

"Roadblock! Who is ready to Take the Plunge?"

…

"_A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. In this Roadblock, one person from each team must dive from the Cliffs overlooking the sea, and swim out to retrieve a clue attached to a buoy."_

…

"I'll do it," Kurt said, frowning slightly at the clue's wording.

"Are you sure? You're not too tired, are you?" Blaine asked, looking at him worriedly.

Kurt smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm fine. That little nap in the taxi was refreshing. I'll be okay."

After another moment of hesitation, Blaine smiled back at him and nodded. A PA led Kurt off to a changing area so he could put on a wetsuit, since the January weather was cool, even if it was summer in this region currently.

As Kurt emerged from the tent, he was surprised to see Emma just heading into the changing area, along with his stepmother and Nick. He would have bet money on Will doing this challenge.

Shrugging, he followed the PA to the area where they would be jumping from, and after getting a quick lecture from a professional cliff diver, was given the all clear to go when he was ready. He took a deep breath, glanced out to where the buoy was anchored to fix its location in his mind, and took a running start. That thrill of the freefall he'd first experienced in Australia rushed through him, and he felt his heart race, and he had to remind himself to take another breath before he hit the water.

For a moment the world seemed to tumble upside down as the water closed over his head, and pulled him under, but he refused to panic, and waited a heartbeat before pushing for the sunlight.

Once he breached the surface and took in a lungful of air, he reoriented himself, and began swimming for the bright red buoy. He grabbed the water proof sealed envelope, and began kicking for shore. From here, he could see Carole leap from the cliff's edge, and paused to watch her, making sure she was fine before dragging himself out of the surf.

He climbed back up to the overlook, where Blaine and Burt were waiting, along with Will and Jeff. The first teams from the second flight were just arriving as Kurt handed Blaine their clue.

"How was it?" his dad asked, looking over his shoulder to watch his wife as she reached the buoy and grabbed the clue.

"Thrilling! And tell Carole she's got great form on that swan dive!" He hugged his dad before dashing off to the changing room to get his clothes back on.

As he passed, he heard Nick whispering to Emma, "You'll be fine! They wouldn't let us do this if they hadn't made sure it was safe first!"

Emma nodded at him, but still didn't look convinced. "Maybe you should go in front of me…"

Kurt ducked into the changing tent then, and when he came back out a few minutes later, Emma was still standing there, as David, who had been on the second flight, took his leap.

Kurt gave her arm a squeeze and smiled reassuringly at her. "It's not as bad as you might think!"

She smiled gratefully at him, and he jogged back over to Blaine. As they ripped open their clue, they heard Emma make a little scream, and then a nervous giggle as she went over the cliff. They all rushed to the edge to watch the redheaded woman, who came up out of the water, laughing. They all cheered for her, even the camera crews, and she waved up at them before swimming towards the buoy.

They shook Will's hand before they remembered they hadn't read their clue yet.

"Find the Marked cars and drive yourselves to Middle Rock Sheep Station, and search for your next clue!"

…

Will was waiting at the top of the overlook as Emma made her way back up, wrapping her in a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart!"

Emma was still giddy with laughter at her accomplishment, the adrenaline coursing through her making her feel like she could do anything. "Kurt was right! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be! It was actually fun! I want to do it again!"

…

"_It really was exhilarating! Even better than the zip line from last season! I can't believe I've let my insecurities keep me from enjoying so many things!" Emma smiled excitedly at the camera._

_Will hugged her. "The kids back at school are never going to believe you did that!"_

_She laughed. "I still can't believe it myself!"_

...

Will laughed and hugged her once more, kissing her cheek. "That's my girl! But right now we have more racing to do! Go get changed and let's show these kids how it's done!"

The redhead kissed him back, and then jogged over to the changing tent.

"Looks like Bambi is finally growing some sea legs," Sue muttered.

Will just rolled his eyes and ignored the woman, deciding to think of it as a somewhat backhanded compliment. As he waited for his fiance to finish changing, Sam, Finn and Becky all took the leap over the cliff, and the four teams from the third flight began to arrive.

…

"But I never learned to swim," Howard muttered.

Terri put her hands on her hips and glared at her partner. "Howard, if you don't know how to swim, you can't be on The Amazing Race," she quipped. "Besides, do you know what kind of damage that water will do to my hair?" The woman stroked her hair several times, still glaring at Howard.

The man sighed. "What if there are sharks?"

"Oh please Howard, don't be stupid. They wouldn't make us jump into shark infested waters. Now hurry up. I'm not getting any younger."

Howard finally wandered off toward the tent muttering something about why the task couldn't deal with counting inventory.

…

_Terri grimaced at the camera. "Honestly, I don't know why people always want me to do everything for them! I mean, people come into the store, and ask me where to find things, and expect me to actually show them, instead of looking for themselves. I'm an assistant manager. Do I look like it's my job to wait on you?_

"_All I asked of Howard was for him to jump off one little cliff! You'd think I asked him to do something hard, or scary!"_

...

The assistant manager stood impatiently, hands on her hips, foot tapping on the ground as she waited for her partner to return. Santana, Mike and Chandler had all gotten changed quickly, but Howard still hadn't emerged from the tent by the time the other three had made their jumps. They were the only ones left by the time he came out, not wearing the wetsuit.

"I couldn't get it on," he said. "So I am just going to jump in my clothes. I'll probably drown from the weight pulling me under."

Terri just rolled her eyes. "Well, get on with it, then! We're in last place! If you hurry up, they can drag your body back to shore with the clue, and maybe I can catch up!"

…

As they parked on the country lane, Kurt frowned at the smell coming from the barn with the race flag hanging from the door. The clue box stood beside the open entryway. "Ugh! I hope whatever this task entails doesn't include cleaning out those stalls!"

Blaine just laughed at him as he opened the clue.

"Each team member must shear a sheep to receive your next clue!"

Kurt's frown deepened. "Oh, great, that's even worse!"

As they watched the demonstration, Burt and Carole arrived. One team mate would hold the sheep, as the other sheared, and then they would switch.

Kurt tentatively approached the first sheep, and attempted to wrap his arms around its neck like the handler in the demonstration had done, but the animal just shook him off, almost causing him to fall face first into the muck, but fortunately he managed to catch himself before he could ruin his outfit.

"Easy there, kiddo," Burt said, laughing at his son. "If you let the sheep know you are nervous, they are going to walk all over you!"

Kurt threw his dad one of his famous bitch glares. "When did you live on a farm?" he asked, wondering how his dad could suddenly be an expert in handling sheep.

Burt laughed again. "I was in 4H in high school. I've sheared a few sheep in my day." As if to prove his point, the elder Hummel walked over to one of the sheep and quickly caught it around the neck, securing it as Carole approached with the clippers.

Kurt grumbled, not really liking being upstaged by his dad. "Don't tell me you expect animals for dowry now."

The pale man thought he heard Blaine mutter something along the lines of, "I hope not, I don't have six lambs and a fatted calf."

Looking over at his boyfriend, Kurt blinked. He'd only been kidding about the dowry. "Good thing we don't live in a third world country where that kind of thing is expected," he said, just in case he'd heard what he thought he did, but deciding not to question Blaine about it.

Carole finished shearing the first sheep as Kurt finally managed to secure one of the fluffy animals. Blaine had just started shearing when Nick and Jeff and Wes and David arrived.

"You boys gotta work faster," Burt said as he began shearing the sheep Carole had pinned.

Kurt opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it because the first thing that popped into his mind was something highly inappropriate, and he wasn't exactly interested in saying it, especially now that they had an audience.

Blaine glanced at Kurt for a moment as he continued to shear the sheep. He had a response for Burt though. "We don't want to risk nicking the animal. How fast is too fast?" he asked.

Kurt could tell his dad had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but the older male must have thought better of it as well. It was one thing for he and his dad to make sex jokes when they were alone, but it seemed inappropriate in mixed company.

Clearly, this conversation had started to head into forbidden territory, for lack of a better word. Not to mention, ever since the incident in the dressing room, Kurt had been thinking twice about whatever sex joke he cracked with his dad.

Burt finished shearing his sheep, and received their clue, while Blaine still hadn't finished shearing their first sheep.

They'd been so distracted, they hadn't realized Nick and Jeff had finished their first sheep and were starting on their second, and Wes and David weren't far behind them. Will and Emma and Sam and Mercedes had also arrived and were working on their first sheep.

Deciding to return focus to their own task, Kurt and Blaine failed to notice Nick and Jeff exchange nods with the other teams that were there and everyone slowed down a tad, but not so much that they wouldn't still be a challenge. The two San Francisco natives still managed to finish before Kurt and Blaine, as did Wes and David, but not by much, and all three teams were soon following Burt and Carole.

"Travel on foot to the marked gate and search for your next clue!"

…

Will watched the others go as Emma hesitantly worked on shearing the sheep. The elfin woman had used one of her self hypnosis techniques to calm herself enough to be able to get close to the animal.

Once the other teams were out of earshot, Will glanced over at Mercedes. "Did you get it?"

The dark skinned woman nodded. "Marley has it. She'll hold on to it until it's time."

Will smiled. "This is going to be very interesting to see this play out. I just hope Emma and I aren't the first ones eliminated this time."

Mercedes laughed. "Or second."

They finished their tasks as several more teams arrived, and received their clues.

…

The six young men found the marked gate and immediately found the clue box. Nick and Jeff were the first to open their envelopes.

"Detour! Herd or Heard?"

…

"_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between two tasks common among the sheepherders in this region. _

"_In Herd, teams must choose a champion sheepherding dog to assist them in culling ten marked sheep from the herd of five hundred and into a pen. There are only one hundred and twenty marked sheep in the herd. Once they have their ten sheep secured, they will receive their next clue. The task may seem difficult, but the dogs have been trained for this type of work, and will work on instinct._

"_In Heard, teams must learn a series of whistles, calls, and gestures used to train sheepherding dogs. Once they have memorized the commands, they must guide a young dog through an obstacle course to receive their next clue. The task may be simple, and the dogs are already trained to follow each cue, but it is up to the teams to remember the correct commands."_

…

"I think we should herd the sheep," Kurt said. "I've seen these dogs work, and I'm pretty sure we can finish it quickly." Nick and Jeff had also decided to take the herding task

Wes shrugged. "I've actually trained dogs before, so I think we're going to do Heard." He glanced at David to see what he thought. The darker man just shrugged.

The three teams wished each other luck, and headed to their respective tasks. As they reached the field with the large herd, Kurt spotted his dad and Carole working together, and noticed the older couple already had more than half their sheep penned.

They made their way over to where some young children in ranch clothes were standing with their champion dogs. Kurt smiled at a small boy with dark blonde hair in a blue shirt and khaki shorts. "Aww, look, it's baby Phil!" he exclaimed, and asked the boy what his dog's name was.

"This is Kallie," the boy said, proudly.

Blaine smiled and bent down to greet the dog. "Well, Kallie, think you can help us wrangle some sheep?"

They led the beautiful black and white border collie into the field, and worked as quickly as they could to pen the animals. Kurt saw Burt and Carole receive their clue, and head off at a run. While he was happy that his dad and Carole were doing well so far, it did kind of feel strange to see the man with a different partner, and to have them be in front of him.

He glanced to the curly haired man beside him, who was trying to push the pen gate closed to prevent any of the four sheep they already had from escaping. He tried to imagine having his dad with him this time, but the image just wouldn't form. This was the man he was supposed to be with. He smiled, and returned to the task at hand.

…

"_Yeah, it is kind of strange competing against my dad this time," Kurt said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But at the same time, it gives me a new appreciation for him and his skills. I never knew my dad could shear sheep! I guess I still have a lot to learn from him."_

_..._

Nick and Jeff finished and received their clue just ask Kurt and Blaine managed to pen their ninth sheep. By now a few other teams had reached the herding field as well, and Kurt managed to shut the gate on their final sheep as Santana and Brittany penned their third animal. Kurt noticed that the blonde woman seemed to have a way with the animals, and they practically followed her into the pen. They had more trouble keeping the unmarked sheep out than keeping the marked ones in.

He didn't really have time to appreciate the girl's gifted nature as he opened the clue.

"Drive yourselves to the Pit Stop, Phil's Family's Ranch! The last team to check in may be eliminated! "

"Awesome!" Blaine exclaimed, "we get to see where Phil grew up!"

…

Phil was chatting with the very intriguing young trans woman who would be the greeter on this leg of the race when Marley signaled them that the first teams were approaching. While he hadn't actually been the one to hire the greeters this season after all, he had insisted on meeting each and every one of them before the race started, and felt that this season would be smoother than the previous race had been.

"It's been good talking with you, Unique," Phil said as they took their marks at the mat. "You are much more sane than some of the greeters we had last season."

The dark skinned woman laughed. "That woman in the grey suit who ranted about wasting money and how the racers should get a real job was hilarious!"

Phil just smiled. "She was one of the tamer ones."

Before either of them could say more, Burt and Carole came into view. Unique smiled as the older couple reached the mat. "Oh honeychild, don't you two look devine! Welcome to the fabulous New Zealand, where you can now spend time with the fabulous Unique."

Phil smiled at them. "Burt and Carole, you are team number one! How does it feel to be back on the race?"

"It's not called the Amazing Race for nothing, Phil," Burt said.

Phill laughed. "Not only are you both back, with new partners, but you are the oldest team on the race this time around, and here you are coming in first! That has got to feel like an accomplishment."

"It does," Carole replied, grinning. "Even if this is the only leg we win, it's making a statement to other older couples out there that they can do it, too!"

"Well, as the winners of this leg of the race, you have won a trip for two to Tokyo, Japan, which you can enjoy after the race!"

It wasn't long until the next team arrived.

"Wes and David, you are team number two!"

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number three!"

"Santana and Brittany, you are team number four!"

…

Jeff sighed as they reached the mat, looking kind of sheepish (no pun intended). "We missed our exit!"

Nick smiled. "It could have been worse. We only had to drive five minutes out of the way."

"Oh sweetie, in some cases, it pays to be fashionably late," Unique said, smiling at the adorable couple.

"Nick and Jeff, you are team number five!"

…

"Great job, Honey!" Mike called out to his wife. Tina's training as a veterinarian student was coming in handy as she calmly shooed the sheep into the pen as their dog weaned them from the herd. Even as he praised the goth woman, he kept an eye on the other team at the task, Adam and Chandler.

Those two men were going to cause problems, he could tell, and that would upset Tina, and he hated it when Tina was upset. He would have to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't ruin everything.

Maybe he could make sure they got eliminated sooner. He thought about 'accidentally' freeing the sheep in their pen, but thought better of it when he realized he and Tina could be penalized for interfering with the other team.

Sighing, he resigned himself to just observing for now. But if those two even sneezed in Kurt and Blaine's direction, Mike wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice their chances to finish the race in order to take them out with him.

…

"Sue and Becky, you are team number six!"

"Tina and Mike, you are team number seven!"

"Will and Emma, you are team number eight!"

…

"Come on Howard, memorizing commands is not rocket science! You memorize the commands I give you at work all the time!" Terri shouted to her partner. She stood idly by, studying her nails.

"I don't think I can do it," Howard drawled. "I'm not built for animal training. Plus, these wet clothes are making me itch! Why couldn't I change my clothes after the cliff dive?"

Terri rolled her eyes. "Because you were slow enough deciding you couldn't fit the wetsuit! And we were already in last!" she screamed, taking a moment to remember herself. "And you're not built for folding sheets either," she bit out, placing her hands on her hips now.

"I'm supposed to be doing inventory," Howard replied. He attempted to blow the whistle he'd been given, but didn't really have enough power. "Can't you help me, Terri? Show me how to do it."

Again, the woman rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly, Howard, do I really have to do everything for you?" Clearly, she was not amused as she stepped forward. "Give me that!" She snatched a leading device from Howard's hand and huffed a sigh. "I'm not meant for manual labor."

…

"Adam and Chandler, you are team number nine!"

"Finn and Rachel, you are team number ten!"

"Sam and Mercedes, You are team number eleven!"

Phil could hear the final team coming from a mile away, it seemed. The woman's voice was strident and annoying. He felt sorry for her partner, who seemed incapable of standing up to her.

"Woo, something tells me she thought this race would be a cake walk," Unique mentioned to Phil, a small frown on her face. She recovered by the time the team made it to the mat. "Welcome to the fabulous New Zealand, for fabulous people!"

"Thank you," Terri said, tone lightening. "I am fabulous, aren't I?"

Phil almost choked holding his tongue on that response, and moved on to the business at hand. "Terri and Howard, you are the last team to arrive, and you have both been eliminated from the race."

Terri hit Howard over the head. "You good for nothing! Can't you do anything right?! Now see? You got us eliminated!"

Howard cowered a little bit from her. "I didn't want to be on the race. It was never my dream. I'm supposed to be doing inventory."

Phil couldn't actually say he was sad to see them go, although he did feel sorry for Howard, and wondered whether to arrange an intervention for him. They might only be coworkers, but that was definitely an abusive relationship. He definitely wouldn't be inviting Terri back though. It was clear to him she believed her partner should do all the work while she sat back and sucked up all the glory. If she really thought running the race was that easy, she should never have come on it in the first place.


	3. They Love Me Here

**Chapter Two**

**They Love Me Here**

Kurt would think that he'd be used to staying in strange places by now. But to be fair, they didn't often actually stay in a building on the race. And there was something that felt more exposed about staying in Phil's home. As much as he wanted to get close to Blaine there, both of them had the same thought. They would feel incredibly guilty for treading on the kindness of the show's host's family. Kurt was the first to admit he actually did like getting down and dirty, but not that dirty.

He was about to find out, unexpectedly, that others didn't necessarily have the same guilty feelings.

"Blaine?" the pale man whispered, gently shaking his boyfriend. The other man groaned and rolled over to face him, blinking his eyes open and looking at Kurt with that adorably sleep fussed face. Half his curls stuck up because he hadn't managed to get all the gel out before bed and Kurt had to bite down on his lip to keep from laughing. Blaine looked ridiculously adorable.

"Are you okay?" the shorter man asked, voice tinged with sleep and slurring just a little because he wasn't fully awake.

Kurt bit his lip again, blushing lightly. "I need to go to the bathroom," he whispered, a little embarrassed that he was waking Blaine up for this.

"So go silly," Blaine chuckled sleepily.

"I'm not sure I can remember how to find it in the dark," Kurt admitted. "Would you pretty please come with me?"

Blaine, who never seemed to be irritated with any kind of request that could inconvenience him, smiled at his boyfriend and sat up reluctantly, though he was only reluctant to leave Kurt's arms. "Okay," he said, yawning.

"Thank you," the taller man replied, sitting up and sliding out of the bed. The two of them were fully dressed in pajamas, wanting to be courteous to the members of Phil's family who were there on the ranch.

As Blaine came around the bed, Kurt slipped his hand into his and the two of them set off in search of the bathroom, padding quietly down the hallway in their bare feet.

After a few moments, Kurt tried a door. It was locked. "Must not be that one," he whispered. Blaine kissed his cheek and tried the door on the opposite side of the hallway. It revealed a linen closet.

"I don't think a toilet can fit in there," Blaine said, causing Kurt to smack his arm playfully. Getting more serious, he added, "I wish I'd remembered to bring a flashlight. It's pretty dark in this hallway at night."

Kurt frowned. "That's because ranches aren't really surrounded by streetlamps. All we've got is the moon." He pointed to the window at the end of the hall behind them with his free hand. The two of them continued along the hallway, Kurt running the fingers of his free hand along the wall until they skimmed across another door. "This has to be it," he said quietly.

The pale man wrapped his hand around the handle and turned it easily. It wasn't locked, so that was a good sign. However, the first thing he heard next, certainly was not a good sign.

"On your knees and beg for it!" Kurt blanched at the command. The voice sounded very much like Carole's, but he had never heard his new stepmother sound so forceful before. He hesitated a moment, with the door open only a crack. Though he had been able to clearly hear what she'd said, it still sounded muffled so he thought that it was coming from somewhere nearby and decided he needed to try and block it out.

"What was that?" Blaine whispered. He'd heard something, but not as clearly as Kurt.

Kurt turned and looked at him. "I think it was my stepmother," he admitted.

"Oh," Blaine said. "What is she doing awake at this hour?"

The older man shrugged and gripping Blaine's hand just a bit tighter, he remembered he was here to use the bathroom. So he turned back to the door to push it the rest of the way open. And that was when he went stalk still frozen for the second time in the past few months.

"Oh my Gaga," he got out in a voice that was somewhere between a whisper and normal volume.

The two people in the room hesitated as they realized they were no longer alone. And it was a tableau Kurt knew he was never going to get out of his head again. He could feel Blaine squeeze his hand and he was sure his boyfriend had just noticed the scene.

In the middle of the room, Burt Hummel was kneeling on the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, and his hind quarters facing his wife. Carole stood a few steps to the side of the bed, dressed in a much too revealing leather suit, with fishnets and knee high boots. In one of her gloved hands, she held a whip.

"Blaine?" Kurt said in a whimper, as his parents stared at them in horror, completely thrown off to be caught in such a compromising situation.

"Yes?" Blaine replied in a voice that was almost not even there. It was no surprise that he was just as embarrassed and shocked as Kurt was.

"I don't have to pee anymore." Kurt was still whimpering.

"Why?" the curly haired man seemed to have to ask.

Kurt swallowed. "Because it's running down my leg."

Carole, to no surprise, seemed to be the first one to recover herself. Out of the four of them, she was the one who was so easy to go along with it. When Kurt had asked her how she adjusted to situations so well, she'd told him something about playing into and making light of your embarrassment. It makes it easier to handle.

"Did you boys need something?" she asked after a moment. Her hesitancy in speaking suggested she may have been about to say something else, but Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

The pale man swallowed again and hastily shook his head. "No!" he spit out. "No, I'm good. We're good." he hastened to pull the door shut again as he and Blaine backed out of the room. "I have never been so mortified in my entire life," he muttered after the door was safely shut.

Blaine, ever the one to make light out of situations, was quick to respond. "Look on the bright side," he said. "Next time your dad berates you for not locking the door, you can retort with, 'Look who's talking.'"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Kurt replied.

The other man chuckled lightly. "Come on. Let's go really find the bathroom so you can clean up."

Kurt nodded, grateful that Blaine was not going to give him a hard time about his less than graceful urge to relieve his bladder.

As the two of them were making their way back to their room a short while later, Kurt thought he noticed someone dart across an intersection in the hallway. He stopped, and looked down the adjoining hallway, but it was too dark to see anything.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"See what?"

"I thought I just saw someone dart down the other hall."

Blaine smiled gently. "Love, I think you need more sleep. Come on," he said, gently guiding him away from the intersection.

…

Hidden in a shadow at the end of the hall Kurt had just glanced down, a form dressed head to toe in black waited a moment until they were certain the other two were safely behind their bedroom door, before slipping out the window at the end of the corridor.

…

For several moments after Kurt and Blaine had backed out, Burt and Carole didn't move. Even if she had shown herself to be calm and collected, Carole was still just as mortified as her stepson and his boyfriend probably were. She was well aware of her husband joking about old people sex with his son, but she was pretty sure this incident might drop that kind of thing to a bare minimum. Burt wouldn't be able to crack jokes like that with Kurt, without getting a little red in the face.

"I don't know what's worse," Carole finally said. "Us walking in on them about to have sex, or them walking in on us roleplaying this way." The outfit had been a gag gift from one of her coworkers when they found out she was getting married again. She had never intended to wear it, but her friend had apparently slipped it into the bottom of her backpack when she had visited just before they had left for San Francisco. Burt had discovered it as they got ready for bed, and had teased her about it.

Burt was silent for several more beats, apparently not knowing how to answer her observation. She didn't blame him for being unable to find the words. While he hadn't been in the most compromising position possible for this scene, he was definitely in a position he hoped his son would never have to see. Some things were meant to stay private, regardless of how far the jokes went.

When Burt finally did speak, he said something Carole had not been expecting him to say at all.

"We made Kurt pee his pants."

There was another beat following the statement before both of them burst into fits of laughter. Perhaps it was not something they should be laughing about, but the mere situation being topped off with such a statement was too hilarious not to laugh about.

"Next time," Carole started, when they had exhausted their laughing fit. "We're locking the door."

"Or the tent flap," Burt added. And they both burst into laughter again.

…

Their alarm clock went off at an ungodly hour of the morning, and Kurt groaned and rolled over to shut it off. It had taken him forever to get back to sleep after the night's misadventures. Every time he closed his eyes, an image of his stepmother in that dominatrix getup had him cringing.

Kurt was hardly a prude, he'd dabbled a little in BDSM, though nothing hardcore, just a little roleplay to spice things up. And he knew his dad wasn't prudish, either, he'd just never wanted to think about his dad having sex of any kind. What kid did? Parents were supposed to be boring and sexless.

"Did you get any sleep?" Blaine asked from beside him.

"Not really. You?"

"Not a wink. I doubt I'll be able to sleep ever again."

Kurt sighed. "We should get dressed and get breakfast. Our Pit Start is in ninety minutes."

Twenty minutes later, showered, dressed and coiffed, Kurt headed to the dining room, but stopped short as he almost bumped into Carole as she came out of their room.

"Oh, good morning, Kurt," Carole said, a slightly awkward tone to her voice. She looked much more like Carole this morning and much less like Elvira and Jessica Rabbit had a child together.

"Uh, good morning, Carole. Did you sleep well?" The words were out of his mouth before he could really think about it, and he felt his cheeks flame.

To her credit, Carole decided the best course of action was to try and move forward like nothing had happened. The last thing she wanted to do was to call more attention to Kurt's embarrassment. "I did. The bed was quite comfortable. How about you sweetheart?" she asked.

Kurt tried to act as normal as possible. "I guess it was okay. We should get to breakfast. You guys are leaving before us."

Carole nodded. "Right." She wanted to hug her stepson, but she wasn't oblivious to the awkward tension that hung in the air and so decided now was not the best time, unless Kurt decided to instigate it himself. "Well, I guess if we don't see you after breakfast, we'll see you on the course."

Kurt nodded. "Of course. Good luck!"

They entered the dining room, where Phil's mom had set up a large breakfast buffet for the racers. Kurt was only mildly surprised to find Phil himself sitting at the table.

"I thought you'd have already been on a plane to wherever we're heading next," Carole said, taking a seat between the host and her husband.

The handsome man just smiled at her. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes. Just enjoying being home a little longer."

"Care to give us any hints on our next destination?" Kurt asked, teasingly, the awkward feeling having left as he sat with Blaine, Nick and Jeff across the table.

Phil laughed. "Sorry, no spoilers!" He stood as Marley entered the room with her bag packed. He bid them farewell and followed his PA out.

"He's really cool," Jeff said. "And totally hot. It's such a shame he's straight. And Married." All four gay men nodded, eyeing each other before giggling.

Wes and David entered then, looking rushed, which reminded Kurt that the two of them would be leaving soon after his dad and stepmother. "Why are you late?"

David frowned, and Wes seemed a little green around the gills. "Let's just say we didn't get much sleep."

Kurt frowned. "Why not?"

"Santana and Brittany were in the room next to us, and they...uh, got a little vocal." David said.

Kurt's eyebrow almost disappeared at this news. Were he and Blaine the only couple who had refrained from any form of hanky panky last night?

The shorter blonde PA, Kitty entered then. "Ten minutes to Pit Start, Burt and Carole, and twelve minutes for Wes and David. Make sure you have your bags ready to go. Kurt and Blaine, you have thirty minutes. Have you seen Santana and Brittany? They're supposed to leave five minutes after you?"

"We're here!" The Latina called out from the doorway as she and her partner made their way over to the Buffet. "We'll be ready to go as soon as we finish eating."

Kurt noticed Wes and David glancing at each other with rather embarrassed expressions on their faces. He could feel their pain. Perhaps it had been an unfortunate night for several people.

…

"_This sprawling ranch in Lincoln, New Zealand, a satellite town of Christchurch, is where I grew up, and was the first Pit Stop in a race around the world. The eleven teams waiting here have no idea what's in store for them._

"_Burt and Carole, who were the first to check in at 4:33 pm, will depart at 4:33 am."_

…

Burt waited for the PA to give him the signal before ripping open their clue and reading it out loud.

"Fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!"

"Malaysia!" Carole exclaimed, hugging Burt. "That's one of the places we both said we wanted to go!"

They rushed off to where they'd left their marked car, quickly loading their backpacks into the trunk and getting in, Burt behind the wheel, and Carole behind him with the map.

It wasn't a long drive to the airport, and when they arrived, they went straight to Malaysia Airways. They booked tickets on the earliest flight, noting that only a few teams were likely to make the same flight.

As they made their way through security and to the boarding gate, they talked about what had happened the night before.

"I found a box and packed up the outfit this morning," Carole said. "Madison agreed to mail it back home for us, no questions asked."

Burt grinned. "Such a shame. You looked hot in it. But, yeah, maybe it would be better to save it and indulge in that type of thing at home, where there aren't as many people who can accidentally walk in on us."

His wife laughed. "Remind me to thank Jen again when we get back."

Wes and David joined them a short time later, and the camera crews sat with them, the cameras off for the moment so they could join in the conversation.

"So, are the rumors true?" Ryder, one of the soundmen, asked.

The four racers exchanged a look. They were all in on the plan, of course, but weren't sure exactly how much the crew knew.

"Our lips are sealed," Wes said, spying Kurt and Blaine making their way towards them.

…

Kurt tried to stifle a yawn as he and Blaine made their way through the security checkpoint. He'd had a couple of cups of coffee with breakfast, but still felt like a walking zombie. The good news was, it was an almost thirteen hour flight. He was sure he'd be able to get some sleep on the plane, as long as he didn't think about...That.

As they made their way along the concourse to their gate, Kurt noticed a woman sitting on one of the benches. She appeared to be crying. It took him a moment to recognize her as the woman he'd complimented at the airport in San Francisco.

He paused. "Is everything okay?"

She glanced up at him, and seemed to recognize him as well. "Oh! I just don't know what to do! I'm on my way to Australia for a wedding, but had such a long layover here, I stayed at a hotel last night, and when I woke up this morning, I discovered someone had broken into my hotel room and stolen my diamond pendant!"

"Oh, no!" Blaine said, "Not the one your grandson and his boyfriend gave you?"

She nodded. "I reported it to the police, but they said there really wasn't much they can do about it, unless they catch someone trying to pawn it, and now my flight is due to leave in an hour! And it's my grandson's wedding! He's going to be so upset"

"I'm so sorry!" Kurt said, hugging her. "I'm Kurt, by the way, and this is my boyfriend, Blaine. I hope the police find your necklace! They have your address and phone number, yes?"

She nodded, accepting the tissue from the small pack Blaine held out for her. "I'm Agnes, and yes. They assured me that if they recover it, they will send it to me."

Kurt exchanged email addresses with her and asked her to let him know if they were able to recover it. "And tell your grandson congratulations!"

They continued on to their gate, Kurt lost in thought. It sucked that people felt the need to take things that didn't belong to them. It made him think about Sebastian, who tried to take Blaine from him.

…

"_It really makes me angry when people take things that don't belong to them. Especially things that have great sentimental value. After my mom died, I kept some of her jewelry, including a butterfly brooch with emeralds and sapphires that my dad had bought her for their fifth wedding anniversary, because he thought the gems matched her eyes. After I moved to New York, someone stole it from my desk at work._

"_The sentimental value of that brooch was greater than any amount of money, and I despise who ever took it!"_

_Blaine hugged him as he looked at the camera. "People who steal from others rather than working a real job are pathetic. I hope they catch whoever stole Agnes' pendant and recover it for her. If you are watching this, you worthless excuse for a human, shame on you!"_

_..._

Thinking of the Meerkat reminded Kurt of the airport the day before, when he had thought he had seen the other man. Some people just didn't understand the meaning of No.

…

"It feels weird," Will said as he waited for the PA to signal him to open the clue.

"What feels weird?" Emma asked, leaning against his side.

He smiled down at his redheaded fiance. "Waiting to leave the Pit Stop. We never got to experience this last time, since we were eliminated first. We made it through the first leg of the race this time, and we aren't at the back of the pack!"

The elven woman smiled up at him. "I know, it almost feels like a dream! I'm almost afraid to blink, worried it will all vanish if I'm not looking!"

Will leaned over and kissed her just as the PA gave them their cue.

...

"_All teams are now traveling to Kuala Lumpur on one of three flights. On the first flight are Burt and Carole, Wes and David, Kurt and Blaine, and Santana and Brittany. The second flight has Nick and Jeff, Sue and Becky, Tina and Mike, and Will and Emma. And the final flight carries Adam and Chandler, Finn and Rachel, and Sam and Mercedes._

"_Once they've landed, they must make their way to Taman Connaught Night Market, and search for their next clue."_

…

Sue snapped her little black book shut. Not the one she kept her booty calls in, though she was sure Putin was awaiting her next call eagerly. She turned to Becky. "At ease Becky," she said to the girl.

The blonde in the cheerleading uniform looked back at Sue. "Now what?" she asked. "I thought you said The Amazing Race was an abomination."

"Sometimes Becky Jackson, you need to join your powerful enemas to beat them. Now according to my calculations, that diamond has more value than my mummified hand of Margaret Thatcher."

"What about toast?" Becky asked. "Does it have double the value of bread because you have to cook it again? Is that why it makes sense? Because I still don't get it."

Sue patted Becky's hand. "Oh Becky, toast has no business in this world. Especially when it's used as ammo for one Sue Sylvester and her handicapable sister at a screening of Rocky Horror."

"Rocky Horror is an abomination." Becky turned around in her aisle seat to look at the team behind them, which happened to be Will and Emma. "Give me chocolate or I will cut you."

Will and Emma stared at the girl in surprise, not at all sure where that had come from, and not sure how to respond to it either.

"Um, sorry Becky," Will said. "We don't have any chocolate."

"What a rip off!" the girl cried, turning back around in her seat.

"Becky, if our suspect keeps leaving a trail, they'll find themselves in the Sueshank Redemption."

Becky looked confused. "I thought it was the Shawshank Redemption."

"I said it first. And I'm pretty sure Stephen King got his title from one Sue Sylvestor. I should sue for copyright."

The blonde girl was even more confused now. "How do you copy right?" she asked.

Sue patted her hand again. "Oh Becky, your innocence is outstanding."

…

Finn kept glancing back to where Adam and Chandler were sitting behind him on the third plane, a frown on his face. There was something about the pair that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't the fact that they were gay. He was used to that by now, having known Kurt and Blaine for almost a year. It was true that until he'd gone on the race with his mom the season before, he had never met a gay person before, at least as far as he knew.

He'd been a little awkward around the two men at first, not knowing how to act, but once he'd gotten to know them, he'd felt more relaxed. Now it didn't bother him at all when he met other gay people.

No, it was something else about those two that had him on alert. He didn't think they would hurt Kurt, at least not physically, though they might cause him some emotional distress. If they did, though, they'd be sorry. Finn would only be the first one in line to kick their asses. There would be a dozen others behind him to pick up the pieces and shred them again.

With a sigh he turned back around in his seat as Rachel patted his arm. "I don't like those two," He muttered.

From across the aisle, Mercedes nodded. "We can't let them mess things up. We'll just have to keep an eye on them."

Sam agreed. "There are more of us than them. Even if some of us get eliminated, there will still be someone to make sure everything works out."

Finn sighed again. He'd never had a brother before, but there was something about Kurt that just made him want to protect the pale man. Not that he thought Kurt was weak or couldn't protect himself. Finn knew for a fact that Kurt was a lot stronger than people gave him credit for. And he knew Blaine knew how to fight, he'd seen it first hand the day after his mom's wedding. They had gone to the gym to work out, and Blaine had done some sparring in the ring. For such a small guy, Blaine carried quite a punch.

Finn almost wished Adam and Chandler would try something, just to see the two men get their asses handed to them by all the people who would beat the crap out of them for trying.

…

"I've found the clue box!" Carole called out, and Kurt turned to look where she was running, spotting the familiar red and yellow flag. He and Blaine changed direction, along with Wes and David and Santana and Brittany, and they each grabbed a clue, tearing it open and reading out loud.

"Detour! Stand or Deliver?"

…

"_In this Detour, teams must choose between two common trades found in Kuala Lumpur's night market. In Stand, teams must assemble one of the portable seller stalls and sell enough t shirts and sunglasses to earn approximately twenty US dollars to receive their next clue."_

"_In Deliver, teams must collect ten handbags from the marked stall, and then search among the other stalls until they find the vendor selling the same bags as theirs. Once they deliver the bags to the correct vendor, they will receive their next clue."_

…

"I think we should do Deliver," Blaine said, and Kurt nodded.

"We're going to do Stand, I think," Carole said.

"Okay, good luck!"

As Kurt and Blaine searched for the marked stall, they were joined by Wes and David, who had chosen the same Detour, while Santana and Brittany had apparently chosen Stand. They found the handbags, and each man collected five bags, and began searching the stalls for matching bags.

They still hadn't found any matching bags by the sixth stall, but something caught Kurt's eye. He pointed it out to Blaine. It was a T shirt that had 'Likes Boys' written on it.

Blaine laughed. "You should totally buy that!"

Kurt had to admit that he was so tempted to buy the shirt. But they were not in a place where they could spend extra money. Nor did they have time to dawdle because they were currently in racing mode. It wasn't like when they got to India and had time to kill.

"Maybe I'll come back and get it when we aren't racing or something," he said sadly.

Blaine shook his head. "There's no telling whether it would still be there."

Kurt frowned. He knew his boyfriend was right. "Well, I'll keep an eye out for the bags in the area while I go look at the shirt. See if it's even my size."

His boyfriend chuckled and watched Kurt as he swayed off through the crowd, keeping one eye on him to make sure he didn't lose him as he continued to search for the match to their bags.

However, his eye on Kurt did not stay long before it caught sight of something, or rather someone else in the crowd. A familiar tall man with a smirky meerkat face crossed the path Kurt had taken to look at the shirt and stopped for a moment right in the middle. Blaine could feel his eyes boring into him and the tension in his shoulders started to rise. He only had one thought. Get the hell out of there.

He was about to call for Kurt when the meerkat blew him a kiss and Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head and telling himself he wasn't there. When he opened his eyes again, the man was nowhere to be seen and Blaine felt that maybe he had just been imagining it. But the tension still settled around his shoulders.

"Kurt!" he called out. "Come on! We'll come back and get it! I promise!" He really just wanted to get out of there. "Let's just find the right stall so we can move on!"

The pale man came back to him, a look of concern on his face. "Blaine?" he questioned. "Are you okay."

"Fine!" the curly haired man replied. "I just...really have to pee," he thought up quickly, making a motion like he was dancing with need.

Kurt felt a little embarrassed as he remembered wetting himself the night before, and nodded. "Okay, sweetie. There was a bathroom back that way a little bit. Hand me the bags and I'll wait here."

Blaine handed the bags over. He didn't really have to go that bad, but he needed to instill a sense of urgency to get moving without Kurt finding out what really had him so wound up. He decided to go use the restroom anyway.

"Thank you," he said, pecking Kurt's lips and hurrying towards the restroom.

…

"_To say that I panicked when I saw Sebastian in the crowd would be an understatement. I still have nightmares about that man. I haven't told Kurt, or anyone else, but having Sebastian come on so strong on the last race brought back some really bad memories. _

"_Back in high school, after the attack at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, I transferred to a new school. After everyone found out I was gay, one of the TAs made a pass at me, and got out of hand. I fought him off, and he never tried again, but I was too ashamed to tell anyone at the time._

_Having Sebastian constantly pushing himself at me made me feel so dirty, just like I was that kid in high school again." _

_..._

As Kurt waited, he spotted the teams from the second and third flights arriving at the clue box. Had they already been here long enough for the other teams to catch up? He noticed Adam and Chandler heading in his direction, and hoped they hadn't noticed him. He stepped into the stall next to the bathroom, trying to blend in.

He pretended to be browsing the merchandise, when he noticed the watch one of the other customers was wearing. "Is that a Patek Watch?" he asked.

The other man glanced over at him, and smiled. "Yes, it is!"

Kurt nodded. "I thought so. I wrote an article about that particular style just a few weeks ago. It'll be in this month's Vogue issue. It's very nice!"

"Thank you! I'll have to check out that article!" The man said.

Kurt grinned. "Just look for the Kurt Hummel Byline."

"I'll do that!"

"Kurt?" He heard Blaine call out, sounding just slightly panicky.

"Over here!" He gave the older gentleman another smile before going out to meet his boyfriend.

"Kurt! Blaine! Over here!" Wes called out. "We found your bags!"

…

"Damn it, where are those two going?" David asked, looking back towards Kurt and Blaine, who seemed to have stopped to window shop. "Don't they realize they are in a competition?"

Wes shook his head. "Come on, let's see if we can find their bags and hurry them along."

They spotted the stall with their own bags, but passed it by for the moment, knowing they could come back and quickly get their clue once they found the other team's bags. It only took a couple more minutes to find the other stall, and Wes called out to the other team.

As the two men caught up to them, Wes noticed that Blaine seemed to be distracted, but the shorter man just shrugged it off when he asked him about it.

…

"Great job, Honey!" Tina said, as Mike made another sale. Her husband spoke several languages, including Malay and Mandarin, two dialects that were common in this region. His ability to speak their language had helped them not only catch up to the teams on the first flight, but pass them, and they quickly completed the task.

Mike grinned at her. "They love me here!"

They handed over the money they had earned, and received their clue, noticing that both Burt and Finn seemed to be having difficulty getting people to buy from them. People were intimidated by Finn's height, while Burt was just too much of a novelty with his ball cap and joking nature.

Mike took pity on them, and called out to the crowd in Malay that the two men were his friends, and they needed people to buy their goods. That encouraged a few people to approach the two men and their partners to browse through their goods.

Tina hugged him, and then opened their clue and read it out loud.

"Make your way to Aquaria KLCC, and search for your next clue."

…

Kurt sighed as he spotted the sign in front of the Aquarium. "Of course it's closed until morning."

Blaine laughed. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Kurt thought about it for a moment. It was still fairly early, only a little after eight. Too soon to try and set up their sleeping bags. "We could go back to the market and look around. Maybe I can buy that shirt."

Blaine hesitated. He still wasn't certain if he had actually seen Sebastian, or if it had been his mind playing tricks on him. But if he showed reluctance to return, Kurt would wonder why, and Blaine didn't think he could lie to him again about the incident.

"Okay, just don't break the bank!"

The pale man smiled and kissed his cheek. "I promise not to buy anything but the shirt, unless it's food or something we absolutely need."

They began to make their way back to the market, which was within walking distance of the aquarium.

Kurt was happy to find that not only was the shirt still there, but it was exactly his size, and the price was less than two US dollars! They browsed some of the other stalls, purchasing some fruit for their breakfast the next morning, and some snacks to carry them through the next leg of the race.

As they were making their way back towards the aquarium, Kurt noticed the older gentleman he had spoken with earlier, only now the man was conferring with what looked like a pair of police officers. He wondered what was up, but decided not to interrupt whatever was happening.

By the time they returned to the aquarium, most of the teams were setting up their sleeping bags, although he noticed at least two teams were absent, Sue and Becky and Adam and Chandler. He wasn't too upset about the last two, but Sue's absence was very suspicious.

…

Things were starting to quiet down a bit as Wes settled into his sleeping bag and opened a book that he had bought at one of the stands. He was using a flashlight to read by. David had gone off to relieve himself about two minutes prior. The Asian man had just gotten comfortable when he heard it.

A noise like rustling. He looked up and shone his flashlight around the area, but didn't really note any nearby bushes. Not any that something could be hiding in anyway. And why would there be? They were in front of an aquarium.

He pulled himself back up into a proper sitting position and shown the flashlight around just enough that he could make out the other teams, but not so much that he would disturb anybody. It didn't seem to be any of them so his next thought was that it was David, trying to get a jump out of him for kicks. He wouldn't put it past the man to do that.

"David?" he called out in a loud whisper. "David, you can come out now! I caught you." He wasn't even sure which direction the sound was coming from, but when his best friend didn't jump out and snap his fingers in defeat, he started to second guess himself.

That was when he heard a new noise, something that undeniably wasn't the sound of someone trying to scare the living out of someone else. Against his better judgment, Wes got out of the sleeping bag and started to gravitate towards the sound, listening hard to pick up the path.

He found himself surprised when it lead him a little ways away from the front to the aquarium and off to the side, a bit towards the back, though he hadn't thought anyone could get around back there. He came to a stop at a gate and pressed his ear to it. The sounds were definitely coming from beyond the gate. He was just about to make a note to tell someone in the morning that there were trespassers on the property when he heard a very distinct moan.

"Dear sweet gavels of court," Wes muttered. He knew that moan was not the sound of someone who was hurting. He felt his ears go warm and he was rooted to the spot, now listening to what he was ninety-nine percent sure was a couple getting intimate. But if everyone else was accounted for back at their camp, who was that behind the gate?

"Whatcha listening to?" came a voice from behind him, causing Wes to jump. He turned his wide startled eyes to the person and found David standing there with his own flashlight.

"Geezus David, don't do that!" Wes cried in a loud whisper.

David shrugged. "Sorry. But what are you doing all the way over here?" he asked.

Wes tapped a finger to his lips and pointed at the gate. Both men stopped and listened for a moment and David's eyes became wide with realization as well. He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Maybe we should go before the couple berates us tomorrow for interrupting their private time?" the darker man suggested.

The Asian man shook his head. "Um David…" he started, not particularly sure how to tell him. "Everyone on the race is accounted for back at camp."

David went silent. He flipped his own flashlight from Wes' face to the gate and back to Wes' face again, as though he thought he was having him on. But Wes had never really been the kind to joke around, especially not about that kind of thing. It was only a moment after this realization that David grabbed his friend's hand and walked back to the camp so quickly Wes had to jog to keep up.

All seemed quiet in the camp as they got back, neither man wanting to discuss the lovemaking trespassers on the other side of the gate. They hastened to get back into their sleeping bags and while he was tired, Wes decided to go on with his reading anyway. Anything to get what had just happened out of his mind.

It was sometime later when Wes was awoken by another sound. He wasn't sure when he had even fallen asleep, but his book had toppled out of his hand and landed on the ground beside him. He didn't remember what page he'd been on. He sighed in frustration.

"Quiet!" whispered a voice from beside him and Wes turned to find David was wide awake in his own sleeping bag. Wes gave him a confused look.

And then he heard it again. A moaning sound. Only this time, it was coming from somewhere in the camp. Wes tightened his grip on his sleeping bag and let out a low groan. What was up with all these couples and their desire to get busy surrounded by other people?

"Faster Jeffy!" The moaning was broken by a now familiar voice, crying out, only to resume moaning afterward.

"Shhhh, Nicky," said another voice. "If you're too loud, you'll wake everyone else. And I'm not interested in our friends knowing what you sound like when you climax."

Wes and David both went still. They wondered if they should call attention to the fact that the couple had an audience. They didn't have to though, because someone else did.

"Wanky!" came the familiar shout from the fiery Latina. After the night before at Phil's family's ranch, she was the last person Wes and David wanted to hear calling attention to someone else getting freaky.

"Should we say something?" David whispered to Wes then. The Asian man shook his head. He turned away from David, because whether he wanted to admit it or not, all this loving was starting to affect him in a way that made him wish he hadn't broken up with Courtney. "Are you okay?" David whispered next. Wes just shook his head again. David knew better than to question him.

In any case, silence had risen after Santana's exclamation. It was apparent that Nick and Jeff had stilled at the fact someone had overheard them. The silence lasted long enough for Wes to drift back to sleep without a word. But poor David was left trying to sleep while hearing the two boyfriends decided to finish what they started.

…

As they packed up their sleeping bags and got ready to start the day, there was a little bit of awkwardness between the teams. They were all adults, they all understood that sometimes people needed a release. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement among themselves not to bring up what had happened the night before, but that meant that they were stretched for conversation.

When the doors finally opened and the race was back on, there was almost a collective sigh of relief that they had something else to focus on. They rushed through the doors and searched for the clue box. Kurt and Blaine were the first to spot it, and grab their clue, but the others were right behind them. Burt took their clue and opened it quickly.

"Hungry eyes are watching you, better feed them before they eat the clue."

"Sounds ominous," Carole said.

"I think it means we're feeding the sharks," Kurt said.

They were all lead to changing rooms, where wetsuits were laid out for each of them. Burt had never worn a wetsuit before, and had trouble getting the neoprene on. Most of the other teams had finished dressing and moved on to the task by the time he'd finally managed to zip it up.

Carole was waiting for him outside the changing room. "What took so long?"

"I think they gave me the wrong size. This thing is damn uncomfortable!"

"It looks good on you, though!" She walked around him, admiring the view for a moment. "Come on, stud, let's go make some sharks jealous!"

They followed the PA to the entrance to the shark tank "You'll each be feeding a bonnethead shark," Madison explained. "They are relatively harmless, but there will be safety divers in the tank with you just in case. Once you've each fed one of the sharks, one of the divers will hand you a clue."

Burt nodded, slightly dismayed to see that they had fallen far to the back of the pack, with only a couple of teams behind them.

…

"This wetsuit really isn't making me feel fabulous," Mercedes muttered as they made their way to the shark tank. "I feel too exposed, while also feeling like someone has sealed me up in one of those vacuum sealed bags."

Sam just smiled and took her hand. "You look great. You should be proud of your body, Babe."

Mercedes smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Honey." Sam was one of the most encouraging people she had ever met. He was the first person to make sure you knew to believe in yourself. He was always making everyone see just how special they were.

To be quite honest, the girl wasn't too interested in swimming with sharks, but at the same time, she realized that this could be a bad sign. The last race, they had gone out on the second leg, and they'd also had to do something that had to do with sea creatures. Or marine life. Or however you wanted to describe it. They'd gone out on fish the last race. Mercedes would be damned if they went out on sharks this race.

"What are we supposed to be feeding them anyway?" she asked, looking to one of the safety divers. The diver showed her a bucket full of small fish. "How are they supposed to get full on those?" she asked.

The diver chuckled. "You feed them more than one of course. They could eat a fair bit. But I promise, we have enough to make sure they're full."

Mercedes was still not too sure but she nodded anyway and hesitantly climbed into the tank with Sam. She took a hold of the man's hand and gave him a look that meant there would be consequences if he let go.

"You'll be fine sweetheart," Sam encouraged her. He raised her hand in his. "And I promise I won't let go of your hand."

The dark skinned diva let out a shuddering breath. "Okay, I'll hold the bucket and you feed them," she told Sam. There was no way she was getting closer than the furthest place necessary.

Sam frowned slightly. "Mercy, we're supposed to both feed one," he said. Mercedes groaned.

She was momentarily distracted from her unease by a whooping sound and turned to see both Kurt and Blaine being pulled through the water on shark fins. She had the sense to call out. "Isn't that a dolphin trick?"

Brittany, who was nearby, looked confused. "They _are _Dolphins."

"A fin is a fin, Mercedes!" Blaine yelled as he sped by again, laughing happily. He passed by Santana who patted her girlfriend on the shoulder.

"She meant the animal Brit, not the boyfriends," the Latina told her gently.

Mercedes couldn't bear to watch Kurt and Blaine riding the sharks any longer and she turned back to Sam. "Let's just try and get this over with," she said uneasily.

…

"_When I was seven, my cousin and I were on vacation with our families in Florida, and we went to the beach. We were splashing in the waves, not really paying attention, like kids do, you know? And suddenly something bumped into me, knocking me over, and I ended up getting rolled by a wave. When I opened my eyes, trying to find the surface, a shark was right on top of me! I screamed underwater, and almost ended up drowning._

"_I've had a fear of sharks and water ever since!"_

_Sam put an arm around her shoulders. "I knew you didn't like going into the water, but you never told me why. I'm sorry for making you do that, but I'm so proud of you for doing it!"_

_..._

Sam still kept a hold of her hand as they moved forward, towards the two sharks that were waiting to be fed. The diver demonstrated how to toss a fish to the sharks and then the blonde man opted to go first, hoping it would calm his girlfriend's nerves a little bit.

"Nice and easy," the diver said as Sam tossed the fish. The shark chomped it down in one gulp. "Good job," the diver said. He nodded his head to Mercedes. "Your turn."

The girl hesitantly took a fish from the bucket. "I just...toss it?" she said nervously. The diver nodded.

"You don't even have to get any closer if you don't want to. Give it a good toss and Rex will catch it."

For a moment, all the girl's nerves lifted. "Rex?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You named one man eater after another? Wouldn't naming a shark after a dinosaur give it a complex?"

The diver just laughed. The moment was enough to give her the courage she needed to do this and she tossed the fish high into the air. The shark, Rex, jumped out of the water and caught it before diving down again. Sam and the diver both applauded her.

They got their next clue, following a few of the other teams back out of the water and opening the envelope.

"Travel by taxi to Batu Caves and search for your next clue!"

…

Burt glanced around at the location the taxi driver had pulled up to. "Somehow, I don't think this is the right place!" He showed the driver the clue one more time. "It says Batu Caves. I don't see any caves around here."

The younger man studied the clue again, before replying in broken English. "I ask someone."

He got out of the cab and walked over to a group of men, and conferred for a moment or two, before one of the other men gestured with his arm, giving directions. Their driver nodded and bowed to the man before returning to the taxi.

"We in Batu Cave Village. Batu Caves five minutes away!"

Burt settled back into his seat with a sigh. That was the thing about The Amazing Race, everything came down to chance. One missed flight, one wrong turn, any little detail gone bad, and you can go from first to worst in a second. Of course they weren't out of it yet, not until Phil said they were eliminated.

They pulled up to the caves, and Burt spotted the clue box immediately. He was encouraged to see they weren't dead last. There was at least one team behind them. Adam and Chandler were just pulling up as they opened their clue.

"Roadblock! Who is ready for Wedded Bliss?"

…

"_In this Roadblock, One team member must gold leaf and decorate a miniature version of the floats used during the procession celebrating Thirukalyanam, the Celestial Wedding of Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati). Once their work has been judged worthy, they will receive their next clue."_

…

"I've ever done this before," Tina said, taking another sheet of gold leaf and carefully applying it to the plaster statue.

"You're doing a great job," Kurt said from beside her. "Once you get the hang of it, it's easy. I've done it before, though not on anything this big."

Tina glanced over to the glasz eyed man's miniature float. That was something of a misnomer. They really weren't that small. Each float was about four foot by four foot, and about four feet tall. Kurt was only about halfway finished with the gold leaf part, but his looked much neater than Tina's did. "How do you get it so perfect? Mine is full of lumps and parts sticking out!"

Kurt shrugged. "It just takes practice. But you can fix yours easy enough. Just dampen the brush and smooth it out."

Tina watched Kurt for a moment, and then followed his example, grinning as her statue started looking more like the example they had studied.

Tina glanced around at some of the other floats. No one else other than Wes and Jeff were as close to being done as she and Kurt. Becky had somehow managed to get more gold leaf on herself than on her statue, but the tiny blonde dynamo seemed to be having a lot of fun with the task.

Brittany seemed to be dancing to music only she could hear as she worked, which resulted in her statue having random patches of gold leaf here and there.

Deciding to focus on her own work, Tina quickly finished the gold leafing, and moved on to adding the flowers, seeds, and silks that adorned the float, and finished faster than she expected, receiving the clue.

…

Santana was not a patient person, and it was killing her to just stand here and watch Brittany work. She loved the girl, there was no doubt about that. That was the only reason she wasn't growling in frustration right now.

"Brit, sweetie," she said as gently as she could. "You're doing a great job, but we really need to hurry and finish. This is a race, after all!"

Brittany looked over at her partner for a moment and back at her statue. It was still covered in patches and she frowned slightly. "But San, what's a festival without music and dancing?" she asked, throwing her arms out and the dampness of the brush she was holding spattered, flicking specks onto Becky, who was next to her, by accident.

"Watch it Tweedle Dumb!" Becky called out as she flinched from Brittany's spatter. Santana was ready to snap at Becky for the comment, but the feisty small blonde rounded on her before she had the chance. "Tell your girlfriend to stop making a mess, Sandbags!" she shouted.

The other blonde stood still for a moment, surprised by the outburst and gawking at Becky, who she had thought she could be friends with. It was enough to still Brittany's progress for a moment, and she looked at the other girl. "Sunshine and unicorns," she said gently, dipping her brush to dampen it again and going back to her statue, no longer dancing.

Becky rolled her eyes and moved to put more gold leaf on her statue. She was still covered in more of it than the statue. Sue had given her instructions to ignore the haters. So she was.

Santana was furious that Becky had upset sweet Brittany to the point where she seemed to have lost the spirit, like the time Brittany had told her she'd been pushed to stop believing in Santa Claus. However, it seemed to have a positive effect on their progress so the Latina let it go as Brittany finished decorating the float and the two of them got their clue seconds before Sue and Becky.

"Travel on foot to the Pit Stop, the Statue of Hanuman."

…

"_In the Hindu faith, Hanuman is the God of Celibacy and Strength. This statue is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here, may be eliminated!"_

…

Phil smiled at the young woman standing beside him at the mat. It was almost impossible not to smile at the small woman. Sunshine Corazon was as bright and bubbly as her name, and had impressed the host with her intelligence and talent. So far, this season's greeters were a vast improvement on the previous season.

Marley gave him the signal that the first team was about to arrive, and he looked up, wondering who it would be. He smiled when he saw the newlyweds racing towards him.

Sunshine smiled and waved at them as they arrived. "Welcome to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! What an adorable couple you are!"

Tina blushed, and Mike put an arm around her waist. "Thank you! I love your sari!"

"Tina and Mike, you are team number one!"

"Yes! I can't believe we actually won a leg!" Tina said, hugging her husband.

Phil laughed, and his smile grew brighter. "As the winners of this leg, you have won a Kenyan Safari for two, and you will each receive a Canon EOS Rebel T7 Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS, Canon EF 75-300mm Lens and 500mm preset Lens with T-Mount Adapter and 22 piece professional bundle, that you can enjoy after the race!"

"That's amazing! Thank you, Phil!" Mike said.

"How has this race been compared to last time?"

Tina laughed. "Last time, we didn't know any of these people, but they quickly became friends, even though we were competing against them. This time, we all started out already knowing each other, and while we're all still competing, we're having a lot more fun. Yeah, it would be great to win the million dollars, but to be surrounded by our friends is worth more than anything money can buy."

"Well, congratulations, and good luck with the rest of the race!"

Phil was still smiling as the next two teams raced into view. It was a foot race between Kurt and Blaine and Nick and Jeff. The latter just barely edged out the former, and all four men were laughing, which was infectious. Phil sensed a much lighter atmosphere this season, and he loved it.

"Nick and Jeff, you are team number two!"

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number three!"

"Wes and David, you are team number four!"

…

"Great job, Honey!" Emma said, giving Will a quick peck on the lips as he received their clue. Though neither of them ever talked about Will's crazy ex wife, Emma knew the woman had been a crafter, and that Will had worked on a few projects with her, so the redhead wasn't surprised that her fiance had done well at this particular challenge.

Emma probably could have done it, but her OCD would have had her working at a much slower pace as she tried to be methodical. Even a very tiny flaw would have had her in fits. She was doing much better with her germaphobia, and her anxiety disorder, but the OCD was still one thing she struggled with.

…

"_The medication helps a lot, along with the self hypnosis and other techniques I've learned to cope with stress and anxiety, but the OCD has been part of me for so long, I don't know if I will ever manage to control it. The best I can hope for is to learn not to let it control me."_

…

"Will and Emma, you are team number five!"

"Really?" Emma exclaimed. "It's almost impossible to believe how well we are doing this time!"

"I believe it," Will said, hugging her. "I told you you could do anything if you believed in yourself!"

Phil smiled at the couple. "You've been such an inspiration to so many people, Emma. Did you know we had more people write in saying how you gave them the courage to try something new than any of the other teams last season? Just imagine what they are going to be saying about you this season. You are an amazing woman."

"You're going to make me cry, Phil! Will said it best last time. Being brave isn't about not being afraid. It's being afraid and still taking the chance."

…

Burt swore under his breath as he ripped another sheet of gold leaf. His big hands weren't accustomed to such delicate work. Why couldn't the task involve assembling a car engine?

He was very aware of the other racers as one buy one they each completed the task and received their clue. Soon it was down to him, Rachel, and Adam. He finally finished just as Rachel received her clue, and was relieved when the judge announced his work was acceptable, even as Adam finished his work as well.

He knew he couldn't outrun the other two teams, and had accepted that they would more than likely come in last, and he was okay with that. Winning the race wasn't part of the plan. He had only hoped he and Carole could stay in a little longer, to keep an eye on Kurt and his boyfriend.

As it became apparent to Finn that Burt was struggling with the Roadblock, Finn had whispered to him that he'd make sure the pale man was okay, that they wouldn't let Adam and Chandler cause any problems. Burt had thanked his stepson, thankful that there would be someone to watch over Kurt that he could trust. He trusted almost everyone else in the race to have Kurt and Blaine's back, and that settled his mind even more.

…

"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number six!"

"Santana and Brittany, you are team number seven!

"Sue and Becky, you are team number eight!"

"Finn and Rachel, you are team number nine!"

"Adam and Chandler, you are team number ten!"

Phil smiled sadly as the final team came into view. "Burt and Carole, you are the last team to arrive. I'm so sorry to tell you, you have both been eliminated from the race."

"We figured," Burt said, smiling at the host.

"You two were in the top five fan favorite racers last season. I'm sure they will be sad to see you go so soon this season."

Carole smiled. "I hope they'll see that even though we didn't go as far this season as we would have liked, that we enjoyed every second of it, and that we have no regrets whatsoever."

"Your sons are both still in it. Do you have any advice for them?"

Burt smiled. "Trust each other, and remember to communicate."

"Don't give up," Carole added. "And don't forget to have fun!"

Phil smiled, shaking Burt's hand, and receiving a hug from Carole as the two walked off the mat. They would definitely be missed.


	4. This Monkey Hates Me!

**A/N Sorry this chapter took so long! Both my coauthor and I had some real life issues come up that made it slow going for a few days. Plus, we've set a goal to average 10k words per chapter this time, and we are trying our best to stick to it.**

**Just a heads up, there is a conversation about God in this chapter that may upset some people. Please remember to take it in the context it was given, and that no disrespect was meant.**

**Reviews always welcome!**

**...**

**Chapter Three**

**This Monkey Hates me!**

Kurt wasn't sure what to think about his dad and Carole being eliminated. On the one hand, he was sad to see them go because he had actually enjoyed competing against them. But he was also relieved that he didn't have to worry about his dad's health. And then there was the whole walking in on each other having sex thing…

He refused to finish that thought.

He and Blaine still hadn't actually had sex since the previous race, and to be perfectly honest, Kurt was getting a little desperate for release. He was glad that they hadn't stayed at the statue for their mandatory rest period, but had been shuttled to a nearby campground. He thought it would have been even more tacky having sex next to a statue of a God of Celibacy than it would have been having sex in Phil's family home.

He was standing on a small overlook, looking out at the world beyond them and it was just one of the most breathtaking views. Kurt melted when he felt Blaine come up and wrap his arms around him from behind, hooking his chin over his shoulder.

"I love you," Blaine said, pressing a chaste kiss to Kurt's cheek.

"I love you too," Kurt replied, turning his head so he could kiss Blaine properly. The kiss was sensual, but much more heated than he initially had intended. The pent up aggression from needed release was making arousal fire off in his nerve endings at the slightest indication that there could be something more.

To his credit, Blaine didn't seem to mind much, returning the kiss with just as much need as Kurt was giving him. The pale man could feel himself rapidly growing hard in his pants and he was so desperate for that release, he was almost tempted to drop Blaine's pants and ride the man right there on the overlook. But Kurt was sane enough to remember he had way more class than that.

"Maybe we should, take this back to our campsite," he said with a wink, breathless from being kissed senseless. His lips were already bruised, but he didn't care. He grabbed Blaine by the hand and started to pull him along behind him. Blaine hummed in contentment.

Setting themselves a bit apart from the rest of the group whenever they could had become the norm for them. Unlike Nick and Jeff, they weren't keen on the others overhearing their sexual antics.

Blaine set about zipping their sleeping bags together, all the while grinning at his boyfriend.

"Best way to stay warm and toasty," he said with a wink. Kurt smirked, taking his time to get comfortable before climbing in. Blaine slid in beside him and wrapped him in his arms. "Now, where were we?" he asked.

"Right about here," Kurt replied in a whisper, and attacked Blaine's mouth with his own. The moan it elicited was music to Kurt's ears and he shuddered.

Blaine's hands found their way into Kurt's fashionable but loose fitting sweatpants and he slid them partway down over the apple of the pale man's ass, moving to knead the perfect pale globes with his skilled fingers.

It was Kurt's turn to moan. "Blaaainnnee," he drew out, barely allowing their lips to part for those few seconds.

"Let me take care of you love," Blaine whispered. And he started peppering Kurt's face with butterfly kisses, causing the other man to giggle.

Neither man had forgotten how hot things had gotten in the dressing room at Burt and Carole's wedding and they had both been dreaming about getting to play that way again, but now was not the time or place. Now was the time and place for something quicker, just to take the edge off. And Blaine's fingers kneading into his ass felt so incredible, Kurt's eyes became half-lidded with lust.

"I am so tempted to finger you right now," Blaine said. Kurt moaned at the words, at the very idea of Blaine's fingers pumping in and out of him. He nuzzled his nose against the other man's cheek, his breath hot against Blaine's ear.

"Than why don't you?" he whispered hotly, gently biting the lobe and sucking on it for a few seconds before releasing it.

The moan that came out of Blaine's mouth was a very enticing sound and Kurt had to squeeze his eyes shut and bite down on his lip, fighting back the urge to come right then and there. He had no desire to come without the fun. Not this time.

"Because, I'd be too tempted to fuck that perfect little ass of yours, to make you cry with the feel of my head pressed into that tight bundle of nerves." Kurt couldn't keep himself together at the sound of Blaine's words. The man literally knew exactly how to make him come undone. "But sadly, we don't have the time or the privacy for that here," Blaine admitted. The words were accompanied by an expression like a wounded puppy, as though he was very sad at the thought.

Kurt groaned, dropping his head into Blaine's for a moment. "Goddamn universe," he said. Blaine smirked and squeezed his ass.

"But I can get plenty of fun out of you now," he admitted, winking. It was enough to perk them both up and they attacked each other's mouths again. The curly haired man continued to knead Kurt's ass and pulled him impossibly closer. The two men were flush against each other and they could both feel the friction of their erections pressed together, even through the layer of fabric that separated them from skin on skin.

It wasn't long until they started to rut against each other, Blaine still kneaded Kurt's ass, his kiss swallowing the other man's moans, effectively hiding their arousal from the surrounding campgrounds.

They were getting closer, closer to that ultimate release, and then…

"This looks like the perfect spot, Chandler."

Kurt and Blaine went still. There was no mistaking the voice of the pale man's ex. Kurt raised his head only slightly to see the two men setting up their own camp right beside them.

Chandler was looking around with an innocent expression, as though he was pretending he didn't know that Kurt and Blaine were nearby. "You're right Adam, this is definitely a much better spot than where we were originally," he said, trying and failing, to sound nonchalant.

Kurt growled, so low only Blaine could hear him, but Adam and Chandler's arrival was enough to effectively kill the mood for both of them. There was no doubt in either of their minds the other team had done it on purpose.

The pale man rolled onto his back and let out a frustrated groan. Blaine was just as frustrated, but focused all his attention on trying to soothe his boyfriend. However, he was not going to let the situation go unaddressed.

"You've got some nerve," Blaine said, sitting up with one hand on Kurt's forehead, stroking back his hair and trying to calm him.

Adam raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and put on an expression of innocence. Though Blaine noted it was the one emotion he was terrible at acting out.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "The spot where Chandler and I were originally, was very bumpy with tree roots poking through the ground, so we needed a new location."

"So you came here?" Blaine growled.

Chandler shrugged. Despite knowing that he was not innocent at all, Blaine had to give him credit for pulling it off more effectively than the Brit did. "The guy in charge of the grounds said this was the least rough area and was the best for people who didn't do well sleeping on the hard ground."

Kurt and Blaine knew he was telling the truth, because the guy had told them the same thing. But they also knew that it wasn't the real reason Adam and Chandler had chosen to set up camp there. They were well aware that Kurt wouldn't dare try anything sexual with Blaine while his ex-boyfriends were in close proximity. Not that he didn't want to rub it in their faces that Blaine could have what they wanted. He just didn't want to give them the satisfaction to getting off to the sounds of him in the throws of passion. They didn't deserve to hear him that way anymore.

"A non-existent God hates me tonight," Kurt muttered.

Blaine just hugged him closer. "God doesn't hate you, She just has a wicked sense of humor," he teased.

Kurt pulled back a little, to look at him in surprise. "Are my ears plugged up? Because I thought I just heard you refer to God as She."

Blaine grinned. "God has to be a woman. Think about it, a man would get too distracted thinking about sex to have finished creating the world in seven days."

The pale man was silent for several moments. And then, out of nowhere, he burst into laughter. When he thought about how seriously Blaine had said that, it only made him laugh harder. "Oh...my...Gaga...Blaine!" he choked between giggles.

Blaine laughed and kissed his nose. "At least I made you laugh!"

…

"_Lord Hanuman, also known as the Monkey God, is one of the most revered gods in the Hindu pantheon. This fifty foot tall statue depicting him was the second Pit Stop in a race around the world! The ten teams waiting here have no idea what is awaiting them._

"_Tina and Mike, who were the first to check in at 10:33 am, will depart at 10:33 pm!"_

…

Tina smiled as she opened the clue on the PA's signal, excited to see where they were headed next. Nick and Jeff, Kurt and Blaine, and Wes and David were waiting off to the side for their turn to depart. They were all wearing raincoats, as a steady drizzle soaked the area.

"Fly to Bangkok, Thailand!" They read together.

"My uncle lives in Thailand!" Mike exclaimed. "Not in Bangkok, though. He lives in Lampang."

All four teams reached the airport within minutes of each other, and all ended up at the Malaysian Air ticket counter.

"We'd like tickets on the first flight to Bangkok, Thailand, please," Mike said.

The older man at the counter nodded and consulted his computer. "The first flight is at six thirty, tomorrow morning."

The four teams exchanged a look and shrugged. Looked like they would be spending the night in the airport. Nick and Jeff and Kurt and Blaine managed to get on the flight, but when Wes and David reached the counter, they were informed the flight was now full, and ended up on a flight that was supposed to depart thirty minutes after the first.

They made their way through the security checkpoint, and found an alcove where they could set up their sleeping bags as they waited for the other teams to arrive. As most of them had napped earlier, they weren't all that sleepy, and sat up to chat with each other for a while. Nick and Jeff took some good natured teasing about the aquarium incident.

Jeff blushed at the teasing, but Nick just grinned. "You can't honestly say Jeff and I were the only ones getting some action last night. Did you know you make little hiccuping sounds when Mike kisses your neck?" he teased Tina.

"Is that what that noise was?" David asked, sounding embarrassed. "I thought it was a raccoon or some kind of animal!"

"And Mercedes, I know you are still a virgin," Santana said, "But you have this habit of giggling guiltily whenever Sam cuddles you at night."

Mercedes blushed a bit and scooted a little closer to Sam. The blonde man took ahold of her hand and gently squeezed it.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, both raising an eyebrow. What was up with the rest of them and having no qualms about being intimate where the others could hear them? Were they the only ones with any decency? However, it appeared that not even they were going to be safe from this discussion.

Santana wasn't finished talking. The smirk on her face had grown and she turned to look at Kurt and Blaine with a knowing look. "Apparently, our boys over there have a kink fetish. Brittany and I accidentally caught Blaine with a ball in his mouth."

The two men stared at her in horror. Neither of them could believe she had the nerve to say that. Their one small saving grace was the fact that she neglected to mention when this had happened.

Wes and David were beginning to look a little uncomfortable at the discussion, but Santana just turned a knowing eye on them. "And don't think I don't know what you two were doing when you each thought the other was asleep last night!"

Wes sputtered around the water he had been drinking and nearly choked on it. He turned pale, so much so that he looked whiter than Kurt was naturally, which was a feat within itself. "Wh-what?" he managed to get out.

David, however, seemed to be much more practiced at taking things in stride, even if his eyes betrayed how he was really feeling. "Hey, just because we're platonic friends, doesn't mean we don't also need to get our rocks off from time to time. How would men survive without a girlfriend?" he said, though Blaine detected the slight hint of shakiness in the dark skinned man's voice.

"David!" Wes scolded. The Asian man fidgeted in a way that made him look even less put together than he usually was. "I'm going to go...read...the...bathroom," he said, not noticing he'd spoken complete nonsense. He turned around and walked away hastily.

…

"_My girlfriend broke up with me just before I came on the race. Courtney said I was afraid of intimacy, and that I had commitment issues. Maybe she's right. It's not that I don't enjoy...that. But I was always taught that that was something you really only do with someone you truly love, but how do you know if you are really in love with someone?"_

...

As the night wore on, what had started out as just a mild rainstorm grew into a full blown tropical depression, with howling winds, and lightning lashing the sky.

At six in the morning, an announcement came over the loudspeaker stating that all flights were delayed until further notice. Eight of the ten teams ended up enjoying a large breakfast together in one of the airport restaurants. Adam and Chandler were also there, but had chosen a booth across from them. Kurt had no idea where Sue and Becky were.

As they ate, Kurt noticed Tina and Mercedes once again had their heads together and seemed to be having a whispered conversation. They'd done that several times during the Pit Stop the afternoon before. It wouldn't have really registered with the pale man, except that they had broke apart with guilty expressions on their face when he had approached them. And now they pulled apart when they realized he was watching them. Those two were up to something, he was sure, but let it go for now.

Finally, just before eight, the storm cleared, and they were allowed to board their flights. All three planes would be taking off and landing within minutes of each other.

…

"_All teams are now flying to Bangkok, Thailand. Once there, they will travel by taxi to The Grand Palace to search for their next clue. Because this is an active temple, teams are asked to dress appropriately, arms and legs covered, and women wearing headscarves."_

…

The first plane landed about a minute before what had been the third flight, and what should have been the second flight came in a few minutes later. Kurt and Blaine, Tina and Mike, and Nick and Jeff all scrambled for the taxis.

Tina (who had donned the peacock print scarf she had purchased in India last season,) and Mike were the first to arrive, with Nick and Jeff right behind them. Kurt and Blaine were just pulling up to the curb as the first two teams walked respectfully to where they could see the clue box, and another race stand with a symbol on it that took them a moment to recognize.

"Intersection!" Mike exclaimed.

…

"_An intersection is when two teams must work together to accomplish all tasks until instructed to separate. If multiple teams reach the Intersection at the same time, they may choose who they wish to team up with. If two teams reach the Intersection at the same time, they must team up. If an odd number of teams arrive at the same time, one team must team up with the next team to arrive."_

…

"I guess we're teaming up," Jeff said, reading the sign below the Intersection symbol. He smiled at Mike and Tina. They moved on to the clue box and took their envelopes.

"Roadblock! Who is Ready to Go To The Chapel?

…

"_In this Roadblock, one team member from each team must work together to restore and decorate an altar to be used in the temple of the Emerald Budha. They must strip off the old paint and refinish it, and stencil a design on it in gold paint."_

…

Kurt and Blaine reached them just as the other two teams finished reading the clue, frowning when they realized they wouldn't be able to proceed until another team arrived. Kurt knew it wouldn't be too long, all the flights had landed fairly close together. He just hoped the next team to arrive was anyone but Adam and Chandler or Sue and Becky.

_Please let it be Sam and Mercedes! _He thought to himself. Or Wes and David. Or Finn and Rachel. He'd even accept Santana and Brittany or Will and Emma.

He saw a taxi pull up near the entrance, holding his breath waiting to see who emerged, and letting it out on a string of curses when he spotted his exes heading towards them.

If Kurt was upset by this development, Blaine was even more so. Up till now, the other racers had been something of a living shield between them, and they hadn't had to interact with the two men, but they had made it perfectly clear, they wanted Blaine out of the way, so they could win Kurt back.

…

"_I don't think I'm too far off calling those two stalkers," Blaine said, holding Kurt's hand. "How did they know Kurt would be coming on the race again, anyway? I wouldn't put it past them to have Kurt's apartment bugged."_

_Kurt blanched. "I'll be having my apartment thoroughly inspected by a professional when I return."_

…

The other two men slowed when they spotted Kurt, and the Intersection symbol, both grinning.

"Well, well, well, alone at last!" Adam said in the Brittish accent Kurt had once thought of as endearing, but now just found annoying.

"Hardly alone," Blaine said. "There are four of us."

Adam glanced at him, as if only just noticing his presence. "Oh yes, the pet hobbit. He'll forget about you soon enough."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with!"

After reading the clue, Blaine pulled Kurt aside and conferred with him privately. "What do you want to do?"

Kurt shuddered. "Just don't leave me alone with Chandler. That man turns into the most clingy octopus, and once he has his tentacles on you, he never lets go. I can handle Adam. He's always been all talk and no action."

Blaine nodded, and they moved back to the other team. "Which one of you is doing the roadblock?"

"I am," Chandler declared.

"Fine," Blaine said. "Guess you're with me, then." The hyper man seemed dismayed not to be paired with Kurt, but it was too late to switch now. They found the area where the task would be performed, and Kurt noticed that Tina and Nick were working together. It wasn't long until the other teams arrived. Santana and Brittany were joined with Finn and Rachel, Wes and David were with Sam and Mercedes, while Will and Emma were with Sue and Becky.

Santana and Finn actually worked well together, and quickly surpassed Blaine and Chandler. The latter seemed to refuse to cooperate with Blaine, and they were falling behind because of it.

"I don't know what you see in him," Adam said quietly beside Kurt. "He's short, and not really that good looking. It's because he's rich, isn't it? You're only in it for the money."

Kurt turned his most lethal Bitch face on the man. "You think insulting me is going to win me back? I don't need Blaine's money. Wouldn't take it even if he offered it. Blaine makes me laugh, makes me feel safe, and cared for. Unlike you, who constantly found fault with everything about me. When I auditioned for the lead in Return to Neverland and didn't get it, you said it was because I lacked ambition, and clung to my internship at Vogue like a security blanket. Well guess what? I love working at Vogue! I've really found my calling there! And I love Blaine! So get it through your thick skull that we are never getting back together! Don't make me start singing Taylor Swift!"

The Brit just grinned. "I've always loved how passionate you get." He lowered his voice. "Does Blaine know what a fireball you are in bed?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "I think he knows more about that than you do." Okay, so maybe that was a bit of a stretch. He and Blaine had only had sex a few times, and none of those had been in a bed, except the time Kurt had given Blaine a hand job on the last race.

Kurt managed to ignore the annoying man for a while as he watched Blaine and the others work. Santana and Finn were nearly finished, while Tina and Nick had a bit of a misstep when Tina accidentally spilled the varnish, and they had to get a new jar. Blaine was doing nearly all the work, since Chandler refused to cooperate, and did the least amount of work as he could get away with.

"Your partner does realize that by sabotaging Blaine, he's sabotaging himself, and you two could be eliminated because of it?" Kurt asked, without looking at Adam.

"Chandler!" Adam called out. "Stop goofing off and get to work! Or do you want to get eliminated?"

That was effective enough to get the other man to start cooperating more. Santana and Finn finished and received their clue, followed a few minutes later by Tina and Nick, who had recovered from their accident quickly. Blaine finished stenciling their altar, and waved the judge over to check their work. He gave them the thumbs up, and handed them each a clue.

Kurt hoped that would be the end of the intersection, but the clue said nothing about separating. He rolled his eyes when he realized they would still need to work with the other team.

"Locate the marked vehicles and drive to Prang Sam Yod in Tha Hin, and search for your next clue."

…

"I'm not driving that!" Tina said, spotting the large passenger vans with the race flag hanging from the rear view mirror.

"I'll drive," Jeff said. "I've actually driven something similar once, when we took the kids on a field trip."

The two teams and their camera crews climbed into the van. Jeff got behind the wheel, which was on the right side of the vehicle, since they drove on the left side of the road here, while Matt, their cameraman, was in the front passenger seat. Nick sat behind Jeff in the middle row, with Lauren, the sound person, beside him, while Tina and Mike and their camera crew, Ryder and Jake, took up the back bench seat.

Nick had the map, but all the signs were in Thai. "I can't read this. Mike, I know you said you speak the language. Does that mean you can read it too?"

He turned to look at the other man in the back seat, showing him the map. Mike looked at the symbols, and nodded. "Turn left at the second light ahead, and look for Route 32 north."

Jeff pulled up to the light and turned left, spotting the route marker almost immediately. He merged onto the highway, picking up speed. It was lunchtime rush hour, and traffic was thick, but not too bad, and they were able to move at a decent speed.

They had been driving for about ten minutes when it happened.

"What is this idiot doing?" Jeff asked, easing his foot off the gas as another vehicle began to merge into their lane before they had passed the van. There wasn't enough time to stop, and there was no room for them to swerve out of the way as the other vehicle caught the front bumper, forcing them into the guardrail on the passenger side with bone jarring force. There were screams from behind him, but Jeff stayed focused and kept the vehicle from spinning out or tipping over and causing a worse crash. He stopped the van out of traffic. The other vehicle had taken some damage to the back end, but didn't even stop.

"Is everyone okay?" Jeff asked, shaken.

He glanced behind him, first making sure Nick was okay, before glancing at the others. Matt had his eyes clenched shut and appeared to be praying. Ryder and Jake seemed to have been tangled up in their equipment, but otherwise seemed fine. Tina and Mike were holding on to each other tightly, and Tina was crying, but again they didn't seem to be injured.

Swearing from Lauren had Jeff looking her over. Her glasses were broken, and there was blood dripping from somewhere above her hairline where the boom mic had slammed into her head.

"Lauren?" Jeff asked. She looked at him, looking almost as pale as Kurt.

"I'm okay, I think," she said, voice uncharacteristically low.

Matt pulled out his cellphone to call for help, as Jeff spotted Kurt and Blaine pulling up in front of them. Both men exited their vehicle and raced back to the damaged van.

"Is everyone alright?" Kurt asked.

"Lauren might have a concussion, but everyone else is okay," Nick said, exiting the van. Sirens could already be heard approaching in the distance. "We'll be okay. You guys go on to the next task!"

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked, even as the van driven by Wes slowed down beside them.

Sam and Mercedes opened the windows to call out. "Do you guys need help?"

"We'll be okay! Go on! Help is on the way!"

Wes gave them a once over, noting Matt helping Lauren out of the vehicle and to the side of the road. "Good luck, guys!" He called out, before slowly moving on. Kurt and Blaine stayed for another minute just to make sure everyone else was okay, before returning to their vehicle and also moving on.

Nick hugged the blonde man, seeing how shaken up he was. "It's okay, babe, you did everything right! Things could have been a lot worse!"

…

"_I've never been so scared in my life!" Jeff admitted. "It wasn't so much the fear of getting injured. It was knowing Nick and the others were in the van with me, and that they might get seriously injured, or worse. I don't know what I would do without Nick in my life!"_

...

A police car pulled up, followed by a medic unit. Mike spoke with the officers, translating for the others, explaining about how the other vehicle had cut them off and clipped their front bumper, forcing them into the guardrail.

Having Mike there, speaking their language, really seemed to help, as the police officers were very sympathetic. The medics checked everyone over as they waited for their replacement vehicle. Other than a few scratches and bruises, everyone else was fine. They determined that Lauren did not have a concussion, but wanted to take her to the nearest hospital for x rays just as a precaution. She tried to refuse, but Jeff and Tina convinced her to go, if only for their peace of mind.

The other teams passed them as Lauren was being loaded into the ambulance. They assured Will and Emma they were fine, that Lauren was just being taken in out of caution. Their replacement vehicle arrived a few minutes later.

…

Kurt knew that as shaken up as he had been when he'd seen the other van slam into the guardrail, Jeff and the others must feel ten times worse. It was enough of a distraction that he completely forgot Adam and Chandler were in the vehicle with him until he overheard the whispered conversation coming from behind him.

"I told you we should have driven," Chandler was saying. "We could have taken off without the hobbit, and taken him somewhere private to convince him he rather be with me!"

…

_Blaine just nodded his head at the camera. "Told you, stalkers!"_

...

Kurt scoffed and turned around. "And you would have been arrested for kidnapping and unlawful confinement, and I would still never take either one of you back! Get it through your thick skulls! We are over, finished, through! You both had your chance, and you both blew it!"

Chandler seemed to cringe at Kurt's outburst, although Adam just smirked, which irked Kurt even more. He turned back around, rolling his eyes, before catching a glimpse of Blaine in the rearview mirror. The curly haired man was driving, but smiled at Kurt reassuringly before turning his eyes back to the road.

They made the rest of the two hour drive in silence, which normally would have driven Kurt nuts, but this time just gave him a chance to nap, though fitfully.

They arrived at Prang Sam Yod, The Monkey Temple, and located the clue box.

"It's another Roadblock! Who is ready to be groomed?" Blaine said, reading their clue. They could see the other teams already working on the task, which appeared to be piling fruit, vegetables, and other treats in a decorative manor on a table while the free roaming monkeys stole your work.

…

_In this Roadblock, the team members who did not participate in the previous Roadblock must work together to construct an offering for the monkeys at this sacred shrine. They may not scold the monkeys for stealing the food before they finish, but must replace anything taken before the judges will give them their next clue._

…

"Looks like it's you and me, Kitten," Adam said, leering at him.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I hate it when you call me that. Let's just get this over with."

He made a show of giving Blaine a kiss before the two men went to work, while the curly haired man and Chandler joined the others in the crowd gathered around the fence outside the temple grounds.

Kurt paused as they studied the chart showing how to assemble the offering, glancing around at the other teams. Of the two other intersected groups there, Rachel and Brittany seemed to be the only ones making progress. They seemed to have a system worked out. Brittany distracted the monkeys, who seemed to adore her, while Rachel assembled the offering. Wes and Sam kept having to replace the food as the monkeys stole it.

If he could convince Adam to cooperate, he thought they could work out the same method as the two women. He was about to suggest it, when he heard Finn call out from the crowd nearby.

"This monkey hates me!" his stepbrother shouted, as one of the monkeys sitting on the fence next to him howled in the taller man's face. Kurt smiled and shook his head at the antics of the two, and was about to turn back to the task at hand when he spotted _him_.

Kurt froze and was grateful when Adam failed to notice. The unmistakable form of Sebastian Smythe was standing behind Blaine, which was enough to tell Kurt that maybe he should reconsider the idea that the first time he saw him was a figment of his imagination. But then, what was the meerkat doing here? How did he seem to know where they were going to be? Kurt shuddered and the only person who seemed to notice was Blaine. Though the curly haired man couldn't fathom what was bothering his boyfriend.

"Kurt?" Blaine called out. "Are you okay?" But Kurt didn't reply. He was transfixed on the man who was still standing behind Blaine. His boyfriend couldn't tell where he was looking and so didn't turn to look.

The pale man stayed frozen as the meerkat took another step forward, hands starting to reach for Blaine's hips. From beside him, Adam seemed genuinely concerned for a moment, noting that something was very wrong. But the momentary genuine concern lifted with a smirk as he believed Kurt was finally seeing how wrong for him Blaine was.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Kurt suddenly shouted. Everyone in the immediate vicinity froze and turned to look at him. Kurt blinked, feeling the blush start to creep up his face as he lowered his head in embarrassment, wanting to shrink in on himself.

"Kurt?" Blaine called again, concern lacing his voice and when the pale man had the courage to look back up again, Sebastian was gone, leaving no sign that he had ever been there. If his intention was to embarrass Kurt, well than bravo. Objective achieved.

Kurt just shook his head and hunkered down, moving to refocus on the task, wanting to think about anything but what had just happened.

Adam studied Kurt for a moment, contemplating. "Does he know?" the Brit asked in a soft whisper that Kurt could almost have pretended not to hear. Instead he gave a non committal shrug, knowing what Adam was referring to. Even though the attack hadn't been what had triggered his reaction, he could use that as an excuse if Blaine questioned him.

It had happened the night he and Adam had broken up. Kurt had been upset, walking home from what was supposed to have been their one year anniversary date, but had turned into a huge fight when Adam had belittled his efforts when he'd been turned down for the part in Return to Neverland. That had also been the day his mother's brooch had gone missing at work.

He'd heard a noise as he passed the open end of a blind alley, and saw three men beating up another man, tossing out homophobic slurs as they punched and kicked him. Kurt had felt all the pent up anger inside him burst, and he had rushed in to attack the attackers…

He shook his head, forcing the memory back for the moment. "Let's just get this done. Why don't you distract the monkeys while I work on the offering?"

By now, Sue and Becky and Will and Emma had arrived. Kurt could see that Sue was turning red from not being allowed to scold the monkeys as she worked with Will. Refusing to be distracted again, Kurt shut out everything but the task at hand. He was nearly done when he heard Rachel call out for the judge to inspect their work. He didn't look up, but assumed from the cheers that followed from the blonde woman that they had received their clue.

Kurt did look up when Nick, Jeff, Tina and Mike finally arrived. They all looked to be in good condition, but the missing sound person, Zizes, was very noticeable. Mike and Jeff immediately went to work, trying to catch up.

"I'm done!" Kurt called out, signalling for the officiant to check his work, quickly replacing a carrot that a monkey snatched just as the judge arrived. They were given the thumbs up, and their next clues.

They raced back to their respective partners and opened the envelopes.

"You are now once again separate teams! Find the marked cars and drive to Dragon Flight Ziplines in Chiang Mai, and search for your next clue."

Both Kurt and Blaine breathed a sigh of relief at not having to be anchored to the other team. Adam and Chandler looked as if they wished they had gone through with kidnapping Kurt after all. Ignoring them, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and began running to where he could see the marked cars.

…

They had been on the road for about an hour, hour and a half when Blaine glanced up at Kurt in the rearview mirror. The pale man was studying the map. Next to him, Roderick kept glancing to Spencer, who was seated in the front passenger seat. Blaine hadn't missed their crew's silent exchanges and he was itching to ask them what was up. Maybe he could when they got to the pit stop later or something. There were more important matters at the moment.

"Kurt?" Blaine questioned, glancing once more at his boyfriend through the rearview mirror. The man looked up.

"Yes sweetie?" he said softly, gracing Blaine with one of those gentle closed mouth smiles. The curly haired man couldn't help but smile back at him. What could he say, Kurt's grins were contagious.

The shorter man cleared his throat and gripped the steering wheel just a little tighter. He noticed Spencer glancing at him out of the corner of his eye from behind the camera. He ignored him for the moment. He really didn't want a possible serious conversation filmed but with any luck, it would be edited out later.

…

"_I could tell something really had Kurt shaken up, but I didn't know how to ask him about it without upsetting him or worrying him. Frankly, he had me a little spooked. It was almost like seeing Sebastian the other night in the market…"_

...

"What was that back there?" he finally asked, cursing himself for starting this conversation that way.

Kurt straightened up and gave Blaine a confused look. "What was what?"

Blaine cleared his throat. "Honey, why did you freak out like that?"

Oh, That. If there was ever a reason to be thankful to Adam, it was for giving him an excuse so he wouldn't have to tell Blaine about seeing Sebastian.

Kurt was quiet for a moment, contemplating how best to breach the subject. The fact that they actually weren't alone in the car kind of unnerved him a bit. He glanced to Roderick and Spencer. "Whatever you hear, stays in this car," he said. He knew they couldn't actually say anything to them, but he made sure they both nodded before drawing a breath.

Blaine glanced at him again in the rearview mirror, wishing he could take a hold of Kurt's hand.

The pale man glanced at the floor of the car for a moment. "When Finn yelled about that monkey," he started, "It triggered a memory, because it sounded similar to some of the sounds from that moment." He paused to give Blaine a chance to say something, but the curly haired man only nodded his head. "It happened the night Adam and I broke up."

…

_Kurt quickened his step as he left the restaurant. The quicker he got away from the place, the better. He didn't dare glance over his shoulder to see if Adam was following him. He didn't want to know if he was. But why would he? What reason did Adam have to follow him now? The pale man sniffed. A single tear rolled down his cheek. It was over. The very day they were celebrating a year, and it was over._

_He let his mind roll back into the memories, something he probably shouldn't have been doing. Adam was his first real serious relationship. Except if he counted Chandler, which Kurt wasn't entirely sure he would count. Did having someone cling to you for five months count as a serious relationship, especially if one of you just thought you were friends?_

_He shook those thoughts from his mind, trying to free himself from thinking about either of them. Was it normal to reminisce about your exes when you broke up with someone?_

_His brain didn't get a chance to provide him with a reply. A sudden sound cut into his thoughts and Kurt stopped short. It was coming from an alleyway up ahead._

"_You want some? You want some, fag?!" a voice yelled out. Kurt didn't need to hear more to know what was going on. He approached the alleyway, cautiously at first. "Take that!"_

_There was a grunt as though someone had just had the wind knocked out of him. "Please!" came the pleading voice. Kurt quickened his step. "Just let me go. I promise I will forget you guys!"_

_Laughter filled the air. "Let you go? So you can sprinkle more fairy dust on the good people of this country? I don't think so!"_

_There was another grunt and Kurt hurried to the alleyway. He didn't even stop to think about his actions._

"_Hey! Leave him alone!" he shouted. The attention went from the poor guy doubled over to Kurt standing in the entry to the alleyway._

"_Look! Now we got two of them!" one of the attackers said with a smirk._

"_I'm not afraid of you!" Kurt shouted. And he wasn't, he really wasn't. "I've dealt with haters like you my whole life! It sickens me how you keep trying to beat down something you can't understand!"_

_One of the attackers snarled as his friend grabbed a brick, hiding the offending object from Kurt's view. "You've got a big mouth fag!" said the guy who snarled. Kurt slightly glanced to the other guy, who was now forgotten as the attackers' full attention was on Kurt. The poor guy seemed to take the hint. He scrambled to his feet and took off running._

"_I say we make an example out of this fag," another of the attackers said. A chuckle left his companions._

"_I say you're right."_

_Kurt stood his ground, despite knowing what might be coming. Better it be him than the other poor guy. He narrowed his eyes. Let them see he wasn't scared. Even if his insides were screaming in terror._

_He would never know the exact extent of what happened that night. He'd been hit in the head with a brick, his consciousness swimming in and out until they'd punched him out completely. He vaguely remembered the sound of feet hitting the pavement as they ran._

…

"They were never caught," Kurt finished. "Despite getting a clear view of them, the injuries to my head affected my memory. Details are still fuzzy at best."

Blaine was quiet for a moment, the color had drained from his face. "I'm so sorry that happened to you love," he said, glancing at Kurt through the rearview mirror again.

"It's okay," Kurt said. "I saved another guy from that kind of disaster, and I would do it again. But, can we not talk about it anymore?"

"Of course. Whatever you need."

...

They reached their destination late that evening, as it began to rain again. They could see Santana and Brittany, and Finn and Rachel sitting in their cars outside the zipline adventure park, even as Wes and David and Sam and Mercedes arrived.

"There's a hotel up the street," Kurt said, rolling his window down as he pulled up next to the Latina and the blonde woman. "Maybe we should get rooms for the night?"

Finn had pulled his raincoat on and walked over to join them. "I don't know if we can afford a room."

Kurt shrugged. "Let's see how much it is. Maybe we can split the cost."

The other teams followed them to the hotel, and Kurt spoke to the woman at the desk. By now all the teams were there except Nick and Jeff. Will and Emma decided to get a small room to themselves, as did Sue and Becky and Adam and Chandler. The others decided to pull their resources and get one large suite. Kurt couldn't believe their luck when the woman quoted the price to them. He thanked her, and complimented her on the lovely sapphire and emerald choker she was wearing.

…

It was almost midnight when Nick and Jeff reached the zipline place. It was closed, of course, and it was pouring rain. There was a hotel just a block over, so they decided to get a room for the night. They weren't surprised to find most of the teams already there. Despite the lateness of the hour, Kurt and Blaine had been waiting for them, worried.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked, hugging both of them.

"Physically? We're fine," Nick said, hugging him back, "but Jeff is still pretty shaken up."

The blonde man looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Kurt patted his shoulder. "It's natural to be shaken up after something like that, but it wasn't your fault. I don't know if you saw or heard from one of the other teams, but we saw the police catch the car that crashed into you about thirty miles down the road. They were drunk.

"It could have been a hell of a lot worse, but I have to tell you, I was really impressed with your driving skills. Most people would have panicked and slammed on the breaks, which would most likely have caused the van to flip over."

Jeff smiled shyly at him. "Thanks, Kurt. My uncle taught me how to drive. He was a stunt driver at Walt Disney World's Lights, Motors, Action show before they changed it, and he's been in a couple of the Fast and Furious films, too."

Blaine smiled. "I'm sure he'd be very proud of you today."

"Come on," Kurt said. "Several of us pitched in for a suite, There's room for both of you to join us. Take a long, hot shower and get some sleep. The zipline place doesn't open until ten."

"That must have been expensive," Nick said. "We should pitch in…"

Kurt shook his head, interrupting before the man could continue. "It wasn't that much, it's the off season, apparently, plus it's a family owned hotel. It came to just under fifty US dollars for the night, and there will be seven teams sharing it; you, us, Santana and Brittany, Sam and Mercedes, Wes and David, Tina and Mike, and Finn and Rachel."

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

In response, Kurt took the blonde man's bag, while Blaine grabbed Nick's, and lead them to the elevator. "We've already ordered breakfast, too. So, like I said, shower and sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day."

…

At ten am, the ten teams made their way to the clue box just inside the gates of the zipline park, and opened their clues.

"Take a flight through the trees, and collect colored ribbons as you go!"

…

"_In this task, teams will zip along ten different aerial courses, including seven ziplines, a skywalk, and two suspension bridges, collecting six different colored ribbons suspended along the course; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. It doesn't matter which team member manages to grab the ribbons, but if they drop one, or grab two of the same colors, they must start the course over. Once they present all six colored ribbons to the guide at the end of the course, they will receive their next clue."_

…

Will smiled at Emma as she allowed herself to be strapped into the harnesses. Unlike last season, the redhead had approached the platform with a smile on her face, showing no fear. His fiance had come so far in the last nine months. He'd been surprised when she had been the one to convince him to try coming on the race again when they were offered the chance.

They had put off their wedding to come on the race this time. Emma hadn't wanted a big wedding, so they had planned just a small gathering at the school they both worked at during Valentine's week, but had switched it to later in the semester so they could participate.

At first, Will thought Emma had just been looking for an excuse to call off the wedding because she was afraid of commitment, but she had assured him that had nothing to do with it, and that she wanted to marry him, today, tomorrow, next week, whenever, but they couldn't pass up this chance. And besides, Mercedes had called Emma a few days before and told her about the plan she and Tina had hatched, and Emma had been excited to help out.

…

"_I think I've become a little bit of an adrenaline junkie," Emma said, looking at the camera with a shy smile. "After doing the zipline last season, I've actually thought about trying it again, so this was kind of like fate. And the cliff diving in New Zealand, that was so much fun! I think I could probably do that again!"_

_Will smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm marrying Lara Croft!"_

...

They approached the first zipline in fourth place behind Santana and Brittany, Kurt and Blaine and Tina and Mike, and as soon as they were given the all clear, the fae woman blew Will a kiss, and stepped off the platform, letting out a laugh of joy as she began the rushing descent.

…

"Show off!" Blaine laughed as he watched Kurt flip upside down to collect their fourth ribbon as they glided through the air, his LIKES BOYS t-shirt coming untucked and giving Blaine an eyeful of creamy skin. They could hear Brittany's babbling laughter from somewhere in front of them, and Tina's excited shrieks behind them as they moved through the course. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was almost possible to forget for the moment that they were in a competition, instead of just a group of friends having a great time.

They reached the next platform, the skywalk, and Blaine took the lead this time as they made their way along the narrow, clear plexiglass pathway suspended among the treetops.

"What colors do we still need?" He asked the pale man.

"Blue and yellow," Kurt said.

Blaine looked around, spotting green and purple ribbons, but no blue or yellow. They moved on to the next course, another zipline, but this one was a horizontal course, meaning the clip was behind you, and you flew through the trees like Superman.

"There's a blue one!" Kurt called out from behind him, and Blaine spotted the ribbon dangling a little to his right. The curly haired man reached out his hand as he drew closer, and managed to snag it as he passed.

The next course was the second suspension bridge. Kurt was in the lead again, navigating the wood and rope bridge that swayed precariously with every step. They spotted more red and orange ribbons, but still no yellow, so they moved on to the final course, the last zipline. This one had wooden seats for them to sit on as they glided through the trees.

Kurt spotted the yellow ribbon halfway through, but was going a little too fast, and couldn't reach it in time. He swore, and called out over his shoulder. "I missed it, grab it!"

Blaine had just enough time to lean out to his left and just barely caught it. It almost slipped from his fingers, but he managed to hold on, waving it in triumph over his head as Kurt cheered.

They reached the end of the course, and were lowered to the ground, where they presented the ribbons to the guide, and received their clue.

As they left the zipline adventure park, they passed the hotel they had stayed at the night before, only now there was a police car parked in front of the office. Kurt frowned. There seemed to be police officers everywhere he went.

…

Jeff swore as he watched the orange ribbon slip through his fingers and fall to the forest floor below. They'd only needed two more ribbons, orange and yellow, to complete the course, and now they would have to start over. He was beginning to think that the third leg was their jinx. Once again everything was going wrong, and he was convinced they were going to be eliminated.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If they were eliminated, then so be it. Winning wasn't part of the plan, anyway. This was about enjoying the challenges, spending time with Nick, and just having fun. The accident had shaken him up more than he'd let on, and it was still affecting him. He had to let it go.

As they returned to the start of the course, Nick wrapped his arms around him. "Have I told you today I love you?"

Jeff smiled. He knew Nick understood what was going on in his head, and loved him even more for it. "Everytime you smile at me."

Nick grinned and kissed him. "Let's have some fun."

Jeff laughed. "Okay."

On their second time through the course, Jeff allowed the joy of flying through the air fill him, and they found all six of their ribbons. Even though he knew they were in last place, he was laughing and grinning as they opened their clue.

"Drive to the Elephant Retirement Park in Chiang Mai and search for your next clue!"

…

Brittany was practically bouncing with excitement as they read the clue.

"Detour! Bathe or Feed?"

…

"_In this detour, teams must choose between two common tasks at the Elephant Retirement Park. In Bathe, teams must lead an elephant to the mud baths and allow them to roll around until they are content, and then lead them to the nearby stream to rinse off. Once they have scrubbed the elephant clean, and the caregivers have checked the animal for any open sores, they will receive their next clue._

"_In Feed, teams will learn the proper way to care for the elephants, and prepare five meals for the pachyderms. Once the elephants have eaten their fill, teams will lead them to the nearby stream for playtime. Once all five elephants are in the water, teams will receive their next clue."_

…

"Can we feed the elephants, Tana? Please?"

Santana smiled at the blonde woman, unable to resist the childlike wonder the other woman always exuded. "Sure, Brit, we can feed the elephants."

She held hands with the blue eyed girl as she skipped towards the feeding task. The caregivers introduced them to the gentle giants, and showed them how to chop the hay (Santana shuddered at the sight, but didn't say anything, not wanting to upset Brittany,) and small leafy branches, and how to feed the elephants apples, yams, carrots, cabbages, bananas, and other fruits and veggies.

Brittany was as enamored of the large beasts as they were of her. Just as with the sheep, sharks, and monkeys at previous tasks, the animals seemed drawn to the otherworldly girl. Even the caregivers were in awe of her.

They were leading their five elephants to the stream when Kurt and Blaine and Tina and Mike arrived. Tina and Mike chose Bathe, while Kurt and Blaine chose Feed.

Other teams arrived as Santana and Brittany received their clue.

"Drive to the Pit Stop, Nong Buak Hard Park Fountain."

…

"_This beautiful city park is located along the old city wall of Chiang Mai, and is a popular place to visit for flower lovers, as well as those who enjoy nature walks. This stunning fountain at the heart of the park is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here, may be eliminated."_

…

"Phil? They're on the way," Marley said, handing him a bottle of water. "Mr. Goolsby will be right out, he said something about t-shirts for the losers or something."

"I always buy t-shirts for the losers," said the tall, dark haired man with pale eyes.

Phil wasn't certain what the man was talking about, but they didn't have time for questions as the first team came into view, and they had to take their positions.

"Welcome to Chiang Mai, Thailand! Congratulations, you aren't losers!"

Phil almost frowned, as flashes of last season's greeters ran through his head, but forced a smile.

"Santana and Brittany, you are team number one!"

"Do you know what I had to deal with today, Phil?" Santana glared at the host. "Hay, Phil! I told you I didn't want to see so much as a single piece of hay!"

The host actually swallowed visibly, afraid the Latina might actually hurt him for a moment, until he noticed the twinkle in her eyes.

"As the winners of this leg of the race, you have won ten thousand dollars, that you can spend after the race!"

Santana smiled at him. "Good thing. Someone still owes me a manicure from the last race!"

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number two!"

"Tina and Mike, you are team number three!"

…

Will stared at Emma in awe as the young elephant she had just fed a whole pumpkin to brushed the hair off her face with its trunk, and she didn't even flinch, just laughed and kissed it between the eyes. She really was making great strides in getting better.

They finished feeding their five elephants, and followed the caregiver to the stream with them, getting their clue at the same time as Sam and Mercedes, who had chosen the Bathe detour.

...

"Will and Emma, you are team number four!"

"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number five!"

"Adam and Chandler, you are team number six!"

"Sue and Becky, you are team number seven!"

…

Nick watched as Finn and Rachel received their clue at the Bathe detour, leaving just them and Wes and David at Feed. It looked like history would repeat itself, but that was fine. Maybe they weren't meant to make it past the third leg in the race. Nick didn't mind, though. As long as he had Jeff at his side, life would always be an adventure.

Wes and David led their elephants out of the feeding area, and towards the water as Nick finished loading the hay into the troughs, while Jeff began feeding the inquisitive animals cabbages and pumpkins. Nick couldn't help smiling as one of the elephants hugged Jeff with its trunk. The blonde man grinned and hugged the creature back, before glancing over at Nick.

"I don't care if we get eliminated," Jeff said, "I got hugged by an elephant!"

Nick laughed, and leaned over to kiss him.

…

"Finn and Rachel, you are team number eight!"

"Wes and David, you are team number nine!"

Phil watched the two men make their way to the mat, seeing the laughter in their eyes.

"Nick and Jeff, you are the last team to arrive," he intoned, expression blank.

Both men just smiled.

"We figured," Jeff said. "We're cool with it. Today was an amazing day, and nothing can take that away from us."

Nick hugged the taller man, kissing him. "Yesterday was kind of a stressful day, but we've learned that life goes on. Yesterday is in the past, and we can't change it. Tomorrow isn't promised, so today is all we have."

Phil smiled at them. "Well, you'll be pleased to hear that Lauren is going to be just fine, and will be back with the teams tomorrow, so you two better be ready to keep up." They looked at him in confusion for a moment, and his smile grew. "This is a non elimination leg, and you both are still in the race!"

"Yes!" Jeff shouted, jumping up and down and hugging Nick.

"Alright!" Nick said, laughing.

"Now, as you know, we are doing things a little different this season. In the past, we've had a few different penalties for teams that came in last," He pulled a small velvet pouch out from his back pocket. "In this bag are four tiles. Three of them represent previous penalties: Speed Bump, Marked for Elimination, and Lose all Possessions and Cash. The fourth tile is blank. One of you will reach into the bag and draw a tile. If you draw a tile with one of the punishments on it, that is the punishment you will receive for the next leg of the race. If you draw the blank tile, you will receive no punishment. Which one of you wants to draw?"

They exchanged a look, and Jeff shrugged. "I'll do it."

Phil held the bag out for him, and the blonde man reached inside. After a moment, he pulled out a yellow tile with the Speed Bump symbol on it. The host took the tile and held it up. "This means that at some point on the next leg of the race, you will encounter a Speed Bump, a challenge that only you must perform. If you can complete it and still reach the mat before at least one other team, you will remain in the race."

"Thank you, Phil!" Jeff said, hugging the host. Nick also hugged him, before they were led away.


	5. Don't Get Carried Away

**A/N Sorry this took a while, and it's a bit shorter than we hoped. Real life has been intruding on our writing time!**

**Chapter Four**

**Don't Get Carried Away**

It was raining again as they ushered the racers to the shuttle vans to take them to the hotel where they would spend their twelve hour down time. There were two teams in each van, and somehow, Sue and Becky ended up in the same van as Adam and Chandler.

The tall, intimidating woman kept one eye on the other team as she and Becky sat in the back of the van. The smirk on her face was one of contemplation.

"Becky," the woman said, loud enough so her partner could hear her, but quiet enough that the other team couldn't. "It's time to start Operation Chasing Duck."

"What is Operation Chasing Duck?" Becky asked, looking at the woman curiously.

The smirk on Sue's face grew. "It means we ruffle feathers and watch them try to waddle away," she explained, her eyes still on the other team. "Those two have been causing unnecessary problems in more ways than one." She took a picture out of her pack. "The way they tag along and peck at Klaine as though they were leaving a metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs." She ran her hand over the picture.

Becky looked at the photograph to find it was a candid of Kurt and Blaine kissing. She didn't need to ask how Sue got that. The woman had her ways.

"I think the Asian and Aretha are up to something," Sue said after a moment, changing the subject. She wasn't quite tapped into what they were up to, but she was fairly certain it would have a positive affect as opposed to the negative one the duck boys were trying to achieve. "Becky, I want you to see if you can find out more about what they're doing. Report back to me afterwards."

"Right coach." The short girl turned to glance out the window as the conversation ended. But Sue kept watching the other team in the van.

"Pretty soon, you will go quack, quack, quack, all the way home."

…

"Do you think they suspect something?" Tina asked, glancing out the window to the other van where Kurt and Blaine were sitting with Santana and Brittany.

Mercedes followed her look. "I don't think so, not yet anyway."

"You both are insane, you do realize that, right?" Sam added from the seat beside the dark skinned Diva.

Mercedes glared at him. "Why? It's not like it was our idea. We just took his thought and expanded on it."

Mike shook his head. "And what if something goes wrong? What if they get eliminated before…"

"Don't even think that!" Tina interrupted. "Everyone knows what to do if things look like they are going to be eliminated."

"It's not a foolproof plan, though," Sam interjected. "Something could go wrong. What if no one else is there to help out?"

Tina just gave them a mysterious grin. "I have that covered, don't worry."

The others looked at her, waiting for an explanation, but she just shook her head.

…

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they would have a room to themselves. After the interruption at the Pit Stop the other day, Kurt had excused himself to the showers, where he'd hastily gotten himself off to relieve the pressure, but it hadn't lasted. He swore if he and Blaine didn't have sex soon, he was going to explode.

The moment the door closed behind them, Kurt had Blaine pinned to it, kissing him in desperation.

Blaine of course was all too willing to oblige, winding his arms around Kurt's waist and almost instantly moaning into the other man's mouth. "Want you," he managed to get out between kisses.

"Want you too," Kurt said in the same manner. "So bad." He grabbed one of Blaine's hands and pulled it from his waist, boldly placing it on his crotch and Blaine could feel how hard Kurt already was. "Masturbating hardly does the trick anymore," Kurt added with a groan, pressing Blaine's hand into him. The curly haired man moaned.

This time, they wasted not a moment stripping each other of their clothes. They had all the time in the world with the rest of their lives together for slow caresses and dainty touches. But the need at this point was so great, both of them just wanted some hard, fast, and rough sex. To pound the need out until it was finally satisfyingly spent. And Kurt was so in lust for Blaine by now, he had a feeling it would take the entirety of their rest period.

Clothes haphazardly dropped to the floor, Blaine walked Kurt backward until he fell back onto the bed, never relenting in their kissing. His hand went back to Kurt's groin, wrapping around his now exposed erection and pumping hard, attempting to get him impossibly harder.

"I want you in such ramrod shape when I ride you," He muttered seductively, drawing his teeth across Kurt's bottom lip. "So much so that you'll slam right into my prostate on the first impaling and I will see the most pleasurable of stars."

Kurt let out a stuttering moan at his words. He was so turned on, just Blaine's description was enough to make him come. But he bit down on his lip and held back. He had no intentions of coming until he was buried inside of Blaine. And he knew he was going to come so hard, it was going to be spilling out of his boyfriend for days!

"Want to ravish you," Kurt moaned.

"Want you to ravish me," Blaine moaned back, moving to bite and suck on his neck, long enough to form a hickey. "Mine," he muttered possessively.

"Yours," Kurt confirmed, arching beneath him.

"Did you bring the lube?" Blaine managed to ask.

Kurt nodded, and held up his hand. He had sneakily managed to grab it before his clothes and things were shed away.

"Fuck, I love you," Blaine said, moaning as he took the lube. "Just lay back and watch the show baby."

Blaine popped the cap on the lube and spread it over his fingers, warming it before he reached around to his own ass and circled his pucker with his finger. A long low moan escaped at the feeling. It just felt amazing already.

The curly haired man had just poked the tip of his finger in when there came a banging on the wall.

"Keep it down in there!" They heard Wes' voice yell out. "These walls are thin and I'd rather manage to sleep than lie here with my eyes bugging out because you two can't keep your hands off each other!"

Kurt was so livid he felt like breaking through the wall and strangling Wes. he fell back against the pillows with a frustrated groan.

Blaine got up and hastily pulled some sweats and a t-shirt on before moving to the door.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked with a pout.

"To handle something," was all his boyfriend replied.

Kurt didn't need to ask, for in the next moment, he heard every single word of what Blaine was 'handling'.

"Blaine?" David's voice came through the wall, sounding surprised. There was a distinct slapping noise and Kurt's eyes got wide as he realized that Blaine had just slapped someone.

"Ow! Hey what was that for?!" Wes cried out in shock.

"For acting like you have never had pent up sexual frustration!" Blaine growled out. "Do you know that Kurt and I have not had sex since the last race?!"

Kurt wanted to giggle. He knew this was undoubtedly making Wes and David uncomfortable.

"You've had plenty of opportunities to-" David started, but Blaine interrupted him.

"AND WE KEEP GETTING INTERRUPTED!" he shouted so loudly, Kurt was sure the whole hall heard him.

"I didn't say you had to stop, just to keep it down!" Wes bit back. Kurt could just see the glare Blaine must have been throwing him.

"Unlike some people here, Kurt and I aren't interested in people knowing we're being intimate, Wesley Montgomery! We want to keep our private lives, you know, private. Just the fact that you even know what we're doing now is enough to kill the mood. So thank you. Thank you for once again, forcing us to try and ignore the sexual tension. Although by now, it's so great, I might just give Kurt a blowjob at the breakfast table."

There was a slamming sound a few moments later and then Blaine was back in their room. He stripped off the clothes again and just crawled into the bed next to Kurt, who immediately wound himself around him.

Blaine's eyes were wet and Kurt frowned. He gently kissed away the unshed tears. "Soon baby," he said softly. "Soon. I promise."

Even with the comfort, Blaine still cried himself to sleep.

…

"_Nong Buak Park, a beautiful floral oasis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. Ten teams wait here to find out where they will be heading next._

"_Santana and Brittany, who were the first to check in at 2:59 pm, will depart at 2:59 am"_

…

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand as they waited for the signal to open their clue. It felt strange to be leaving the Pit Stop in first place, but it also felt right. When they had been eliminated in Switzerland on the previous race, Santana had felt cheated, as they had led almost the entire leg, until those damn hay bales had tripped her up. Winning this leg of the race had felt like vindication.

The PA signaled that it was time, and she ripped open the envelope.

"Fly to Antananarivo, Madagascar!"

"Madagascar!" Brittany exclaimed. "I hope we get to meet Julien and Mort, and the penguins!"

Santana looked at the blonde woman in confusion. "Who are Julien and Mort?"

"The Lemurs! Julien is their king! He's so funny! He sings that song, 'I like to move it, move it!'" She began to dance, and suddenly Santana understood. The other woman was talking about the characters from Madagascar, the animated film.

"We'll talk about them later, sweetie. For now we have a race to run! Let's get to the airport!"

There were four teams right behind them as they made their way to the airport; Kurt and Blaine, Wes and David, Will and Emma, and Sam and Mercedes. All the ticket counters were closed, but they had a computer room where they could book flights. There was nothing available until almost nine in the morning. They booked the tickets, and found a restaurant where they could relax and wait for the other teams.

"So, Wes," Santana began in her sultry drawl. "Are you and flyboy there going to be killjoys throughout the entire race? Cause if you are, maybe the rest of us should pitch in and buy you each a pair of ear plugs."

The Asian man turned to look at the fiery Latina. "Or maybe the rest of you should learn to have some respect for-" He cut himself off when he spotted the uncharacteristic glare Blaine shot his way, subconsciously raising a hand to his cheek and rubbing it where it was still sore.

"For what?" Santana demanded. "Just because you broke up with your girlfriend doesn't mean the rest of us have to turn celibate."

Wes frowned at her. "No one said you had to be celibate. You just don't need to flaunt it in the face of everyone else!"

David frowned. "Wes, come on, it wasn't like they were doing it deliberately. Are you sure there isn't something else bothering you?"

Santana stood by, one eyebrow raised over the scowl writing itself across her face. She opened her mouth, intending to say something before Wes could, but Blaine got to it first.

"You think that's what Kurt and I were doing last night, Wesley?" he bit, Kurt squeezed his hand tightly, torn between letting Blaine play out his disbelief, and pulling him out of the drama.

Wes looked between his old friend, and the angry Latina. "Some of us aren't lucky enough to find someone who wants to stand by you forever," he said, tone almost defeated. "All of you have someone to lean on. Some of us find relationships hard, and complicated!"

"Hey!" David said, "Just because Courtney wasn't the one for you, doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who is right for you!"

"That's easy for you to say! You have Brianna!"

David sighed and looked away. "Bri dumped me the night before we left for San Francisco!"

Wes looked shocked. "But you two seemed perfect for each other! You dated for almost a year!"

David raised an eyebrow. "What made you think we were perfect for each other?"

Wes frowned. "You are both in the medical profession, you both hate cats, and you both love late night talk shows!"

"And she was a clingy bitch who often went through my phone to make sure I wasn't cheating on her, and threw a tantrum when I told her I was going on a male bonding trip with you since I couldn't tell her we were going on the Amazing Race!"

While the two boys got into a sort of heated back and forth conversation, not quite an argument, the other racers around them glanced at each other and quietly moved to back away. This was not their issue to be working out.

Santana had her arms crossed over her chest and the scowl was still on her face. "Breakup or not, they have no right to try and tell us when we can and cannot be intimate. It's not our fault their girlfriends left them high and dry and sex deprived," she bit out.

Blaine was uncharacteristically quiet, an expression on his face the others couldn't read. Kurt kept a hold of his hand and didn't say anything, offering his silent support.

"What's wrong with your dolphin?" Brittany asked, her innocent tone bright and out of place in the situation. She was looking at Kurt with a concerned expression. But it was Blaine who responded.

"I slapped Wes last night."

His words were enough for Santana to replace her scowl with a look of surprise. "I'm sorry what?" she asked. "Wow prep school boy, didn't think you had it in you."

Blaine didn't respond. Kurt tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand and set his jaw. Clearly, whatever Blaine had slapped Wes for, bothered him too. Santana looked between the two of them and glanced back at the men they'd just left. Maybe there was just a little more frustration added to their favorite couple's lives. She made a mental note to bring this up to the other teams, perhaps warning them that Kurt and Blaine, may very well be on the verge of snapping.

Unlike the rest of them, who either lived with or near their significant other, Kurt and Blaine had been dating long distance. They didn't have the opportunities for intimacy that the rest of them did. Maybe it was time for Auntie Tana to spread the word that the boys should be left alone as much as possible.

…

"_All teams are now enroute to Antananarivo, Madagascar on one of two flights. The first flight carries Santana and Brittany, Kurt and Blaine, Wes and David, Will and Emma, and Sam and Mercedes. The second flight, scheduled to land fifteen minutes after the first, carries Adam and Chandler, Sue and Becky, Tina and Mike, Finn and Rachel, and Nick and Jeff. Once they land, they will select a driver and marked vehicle to take them to their next destination, Tsimbazaza Zoo, where they will find their next clue."_

…

"I see the clue box!" Will said, and asked the driver to pull over. He held Emma's hand as they ran up to the box and took an envelope.

"Detour! Flesh or Bone!" Will read.

…

"_In this Detour, teams must choose between two ways of identifying various species. In Flesh, teams must search the zoo for ten animals, based on a sketch of its bone structure, and mark its location on a blank map of the zoo._

"_In Bone, teams must search the zoo's museum of extinct animals and identify the skeletons of five different species, based on watercolor drawings of what they would look like if they were alive, and mark its location on the museum map."_

…

"I think we should do Flesh," Emma said. She thought it would be more fun seeing the live animals than spending time among the extinct.

Will smiled at her, and they took the packet for Flesh, examining the ten sketches. "Well, this one is easy, that's a lemur, but which type, I'm not sure," Will pointed to one of the skeletal sketches. "And this one is a tortoise!"

"This is a type of chameleon here," Emma pointed. "And this is a fossa. Let's try and find these first, and keep an eye out for the other animals as we search."

"Good idea."

…

"Let's do Bone," Blaine said. "Skeletons don't move around, so it will be easier to judge shape."

Kurt nodded. "That sounds reasonable." They took the Bone packet, and made their way to the museum. "I know what this one is," the pale man said, pointing to a painting of a large bird. "It's an elephant bird. It was related to the ostrich."

Blaine grinned at him. "You're so knowledgeable about so many things! It's one of the things I love about you!"

…

"_It's true, Kurt's intelligence was one of the first things that I fell in love with, along with his kindness and generosity."_

_Kurt blushed. "I fell in love with his bow ties first, and then his goofy nature."_

...

Kurt smiled and kissed him, taking his hand as they began to search through the skeletons. Half an hour later they had found all but one of the creatures. "This kind of looks like a kobold," Kurt said, looking at the final painting.

"It has to be this," Blaine said, pointing to a skeleton that looked like a cross between a gorilla and a bear. "Archaeoindris," The curly haired man read off the placard.

Kurt studied the skeleton, and the painting again. "I think you're right! Come on, let's show this to the official."

They returned to the front of the museum, passing several other teams along the way, including Sam and Mercedes and Tina and Mike. They showed the judge their labeled map, and cheered when he smiled and handed them their clue.

As they ran back to their vehicle, they spotted Will and Emma ahead of them, already climbing into their car with their driver.

…

"Look! It's Julien!" Brittany cried out happily, spotting the lemur in the large tree.

Santana smiled at the blonde woman, entranced by her childlike wonder. They had chosen the Flesh option because Brittany thought Bone would be too depressing, and Santana couldn't help but humor her.

While she hadn't said those three words out loud, she was definitely growing fonder of the other woman everyday, and knew she wanted the other woman to be a part of her life for as long as the blonde would have her. Santana wasn't the type for labels, but she knew this was more than just fooling around.

…

"Either I'm going blind, or all of these skeletons look alike to me!" Mike exclaimed in frustration.

Tina squeezed his hand. "Not all of them. We found the elephant bird and that tortoise. The bat skeleton should be around here somewhere. The last two are primates, and will probably be in the same area as each other," she said, her veterinarian training coming in handy for this task.

Mike smiled at her. "For someone who dresses in goth fashion, you are always so optimistic and upbeat."

His wife smiled sweetly at him. "I'm contrary that way!"

…

"_Tina has always been different, not afraid of being who she wants to be. It's one of the things I like most about her. She's always been like that."_

"_Well, except for that time I had a fake stutter in school. I was really shy, and stuttering made people stay away."_

...

He laughed and kissed her softly. "I love you!"

She grinned. "I know. And I just spotted the bat we're looking for!" She pointed out the skeleton over his left shoulder.

He glanced at it and turned back to her. "That's my girl!"

…

"That's the last one!" Nick said, marking the bat on the map.

Jeff laughed. "That was fast! Of course, all that research you did for 'Nicky Visits the Museum' certainly helped. How many different skeletons did you study for that book?"

…

"_I'm the author of nine childrens' books about a young boy named Nicky and his view on the world around him. Nicky and his best friend, Jeffy, teach kids everything from conservation to equality and acceptance."_

_Jeff leaned over and kissed him. "My kindergarteners love him when he comes in to read his books for them."_

...

Nick laughed at the reference to his fifth children's book, about a boy's visit to a museum full of animal skeletons. "Two hundred and sixty nine."

Jeff giggled. "Mmmm, my favorite number. Maybe we'll get lucky and get to stay in a hotel with thicker walls tonight…"

Nick laughed again and swatted his boyfriend on the ass. "And you say I'm the incorrigible one?"

They turned in their map, and received the next clue.

"Have your driver drive you to Talata Volon'ondry, and search for your next clue."

As they left the zoo parking lot, they saw at least two other teams behind them, so they knew they weren't in last place, at least for the moment. Nick only hoped they could stay out in the middle of the pack for this leg.

An hour later, they arrived at the next clue box, in one of the poorest regions they had ever visited. As they exited the vehicle, they were approached by several young men carrying something wrapped in leaves, trying to sell them whatever it was. They shook their heads, and took their clue.

"Koba is the sweet treat sold by entrepreneuring locals. Make five koba logs at Talata Volon'ondry, and then sample the finished product to receive your next clue!"

They spotted several teams working on the task, and settled in to watch the demonstration. You had to lay out the spines of several banana leaves first, then add a thick layer of the leaves. Once you had a suitable base, you added a layer of rice flour, so the sweet didn't stick to the leaves. Next was a boat load of crushed peanuts mixed with unrefined sugar, heaped in a triangle down the middle of the leaves in a four foot long log. Another layer of rice flour was added, and the banana leaves are wrapped around the entire thing, and the spines were used to tie it tightly. And then each log was placed in a special pot and steamed for up to three days.

"Good thing neither of us have a peanut allergy," Jeff quipped as they settled into the task. As they began laying out the spines for their first log, Will and Emma finished and received their clue. Not long after, Kurt and Blaine received their clue, as Wes and David, Finn and Rachel, and Tina and Mike arrived from the zoo tasks.

They focused on the task at hand, and soon they had their first log finished. The rest seemed to go a lot faster, and soon they were being offered a piece of the local specialty to try.

"Oh, wow!" Jeff said, taking a second bite. "This is amazing!"

Nick laughed at his boyfriend as he received the clue. "Come on, don't get carried away!" He teased as the taller man asked for another piece to take with them.

"Fly to Antisiranana, and locate Kite Camp!"

…

"There are only two flights today to Antisiranana," the ticket agent said. "Fortunately, it is midweek, so there are plenty of seats available."

"Thank you," Will said, and handed over their Amazing Race credit card.

"Only two flights today?" Emma, said. "Goodness, I hope no one misses the last flight!"

They were just finishing up their transaction when Kurt and Blaine and Sue and Becky arrived. It wasn't long before they were joined by Sam and Mercedes, Santana and Brittany, and Adam and Chandler.

Will noticed that the last team seemed smug to have caught up with Kurt and Blaine, frowning when they followed the porcelain skinned man and his boyfriend.

He got Mercedes' attention, and nodded to the troublesome pair, unaware that Sue had also spotted what was happening. Mercedes frowned and followed the suspicious men.

…

Mercedes considered herself to be a reasonable woman, but some people just rubbed her the wrong way. Rachel had been like that on the last race, but she had mellowed a lot since she started dating Finn. She still got on Mercedes' nerves now and then but not nearly as much as she used to.

These two idiots were way worse. She just hated it when people didn't accept no as an answer. Adam annoyed her, but something about Chandler actually creeped her out. She wouldn't be surprised if the overly excitable man had a shrine to Kurt hidden in a closet back home.

She didn't think either of them would physically hurt her Boo, but she was certain they would do almost anything to get between Kurt and Blaine, and that was definitely _not _part of the plan.

She spotted the two offending males gawking at Kurt through the entrance to a coffee shop. They were so preoccupied stalking Kurt, they didn't notice her standing a few feet behind them.

"Maybe we can lock that mop headed hobbit in a janitors' closet or something," she heard Chandler say.

"Or maybe you two could take a hint and leave them alone," Mercedes said, snatching each man by an ear and dragging them back to the boarding gate.

"Ow ow ow!" Both men cried out, stumbling after her.

"Neither of you are worthy enough for Kurt! You both treated him like crap!"

Santana joined her as she pushed both men up against the wall. "Were they bugging our boys again? I warned you both what would happen if you didn't leave them alone. If we weren't in the middle of an airport crawling with security, I'd castrate you here and now!"

"I'd tell her to go for it anyway," Sam added, standing next to Will and Emma, behind the two women. "but I don't want to miss our flight because we have to fill out witness statements."

Emma nodded. She wasn't a violent woman by any stretch of the word, but someone needed to scare these two guys into leaving Kurt alone. "I'd help, if it weren't for the mess it would make."

"Leave them alone, capice? Or you may find you are the ones locked in a janitors' closet!" Mercedes glared at the two men.

...

"They're following us, aren't they?" Kurt asked, arms wrapped around his own waist as his stomach began to churn.

"Just ignore them. Come on, I'll buy you a grande nonfat mocha," Blaine conjoled, leading him into the coffee shop on the concourse.

Kurt sighed, and followed his boyfriend. "I'm starting to wish we had stayed home. At least we'd have had some privacy there."

Blaine nudged his shoulder. "But we'd have missed out on this adventure together."

Kurt smiled, and hugged him, before moving up as the line to order advanced.

"Excuse me," a voice behind them said. They turned to spot a blonde girl around their age. "Aren't you Kurt and Blaine? I saw you on The Amazing Race last season! Are you running again?"

"Oh, hi!" Kurt said, smiling at her. "Yes, Blaine and I were on last season!"

"I'm Dani! I loved watching the two of you falling in love on the show! It was so sweet, and inspiring!"

Blaine smiled at her. "Thank you! It was pretty magical," he said, taking Kurt's hand.

The young woman grinned at them. "So, that girl, Santana, do you know her very well? She was really hot!"

Kurt laughed. "Santana is a good friend of ours. She is currently dating someone, though. By the way, I love that ring! Is that a real pink diamond?"

Dani smiled and held her hand out for him to inspect it better. "Yes, it was a gift from my dad for not flaunting my sexuality until after I moved out. Or as he called it, a purity ring for being a virgin, or so he thinks."

"Next!" The barista called out, and Kurt glanced over his shoulder to see they were at the front of the line. He moved forward and placed his order, before turning back to the young woman. He was about to say something to her, but frowned when he caught a glimpse of Adam and Chandler, watching them from the entrance. He almost grinned when he saw Mercedes grab the two men by their ears and drag them away.

"So, where are you headed?" Kurt asked.

"I'm flying to Antisiranana, but I'm heading to Cap Diego for a couple of days, and then meeting some friends who have a yacht. We're going to sail around to a few of the smaller islands, before heading to Zanzibar."

"That sounds like fun," Blaine said, as they received their drink orders. "Well, Dani, it was really nice meeting you!"

"It was really great meeting you, too!"

They walked back towards the boarding gate, sipping their coffee. The first thing they noticed when they reached the others was Jane and Mason, Adam and Chandler's camera crew, who were standing there, their equipment lowered, as they watched in awe of what was happening. Mercedes and Santana had the two men pinned to the wall, with Sam, Will, Emma, and Brittany standing around them, all glaring menacingly at the other two men. Sue and Becky were standing nearby, watching with interest.

Kurt noticed that Chandler seemed terrified of the two women, while Adam merely seemed a little afraid. "Um, what's going on?"

The other racers all seemed shocked to see them standing there. "We're just talking," Santana said, matter of factly. "Isn't that right, boys?"

Chandler flinched, and hastily nodded his head, while Adam grimaced. "Yes, just having a lovely chat." The others broke up, as the first flight was announced.

...

Set apart from the group surrounding the two racers whom were unanimously hated by the others, Sue stood with Becky at her side. "Becky, as my beckretary, I need you to take something down.

"But I don't have any paper, coach," Becky said.

"Then you use the power of memory and stamp across that brain of yours." The girl nodded her head, shutting her eyes tight. "Becky, Operation Chasing Duck may be just a little more challenging than I thought."

"How so coach?"

Sue narrowed her eyes, still watching the two pig boys. "They are lurking around every corner. It's time for a Sue Sylvester distraction." She handed Becky some of their extra cash. "Find an airport convenience store and see if you can't round up a box of condoms, several packs of pudding, and some duct tape. Or any kind of heavy duty tape."

"Right coach."

As the blonde girl hurried away, Sue kept watching the two men. "Let's see how much you want to play after I'm through with you," she stated, before remembering something. "Make sure the pudding is vanilla!" she called after Becky.

…

Mike looked at the flat tire, and sighed in defeat. They were definitely in last now. And unlike Kurt, Mike had no experience in changing tires, and neither did their driver, apparently, who was having a hard time assembling the jack.

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Tina said, taking his hand. "Maybe whatever the next task is, they'll have to wait for morning, and we can catch up."

Mike hugged her and smiled. "No matter what happens, it's been awesome having this adventure with my wife!"

…

Nick and Jeff arrived at the ticket counter just behind Wes and David and Finn and Rachel, and listened in on Wes' conversation with the agent.

"The last flight to Antisiranana will begin boarding in fifty minutes. You'll have just enough time to make it through security."

"Did you say the last flight?" Wes asked.

"Yes sir. We have only two flights a day."

Nick and Jeff looked at each other, glad they had gotten here when they did. They got their tickets, and hurried through security, making it to the boarding area with no time to spare.

…

Will and Emma, Kurt and Blaine, and Sue and Becky all reached the clue box almost at the same time.

"Roadblock! Who is ready to get hitched?"

…

"_In this Roadblock, one team member must learn to kite surf, and then negotiate their way through a marked course. If they fall off their board, or go off course, they must begin again. The challenge is only available from sunrise to sunset. If any teams fail to complete the task before closing, they will receive a four hour penalty."_

…

"I'll do it," Emma said.

Will looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure? You don't even know what the task is."

She shrugged. "We agreed to alternate on the roadblocks, and it's my turn."

He nodded. "Okay. I love you!"

She smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Will watched her as she was led to the changing tent, along with Blaine and Sue. A few minutes later, Sam and Mercedes, Santana and Brittany, and Adam and Chandler arrived. The second flight wasn't due to arrive for another ninety five minutes, which meant whoever was on that flight would have less than two hours to get here and finish the task before sunset.

Will glanced back to the changing tent as Emma emerged in a wetsuit like the one she'd worn for the cliff diving and shark feeding. Will couldn't help thinking how good she looked in the neoprene gear, and vowed to buy her one when they got back home after the race.

The racers were teamed up with instructors, and Will frowned as the young man instructing Emma on kite surfing smiled a little too flirtatiously at her, and seemed to crowd her space a little too much. His redheaded fiance just smiled and listened to the instructions she was being given.

…

Blaine laughed as he shook the instructor's hand. "I've actually kite surfed before, several times."

"Well then, mate," the instructor said, smiling, "I'll just do a quick review and show you the course."

"Sounds good," Blaine said. Fifteen minutes later, he was riding the waves, heading into the course in first place.

There was something to be said for being comfortably in first place. On the one hand you could take comfort knowing that you could confidently win. But on the other hand, no one was around you and no one could witness if something strange happened. And the camera crew for Kurt and Blaine's team was above him in a helicopter. There were certain limitations to how close they could be to film. There was no room for a boat along the course and they certainly couldn't film and kite surf at the same time.

The curly haired man pushed those thoughts from his head and focused on the task, until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to get a better look.

Far enough to be breezing outside the course, but not so far that he couldn't make him out, was a familiar looking meerkat, feet planted on his own kite board. The smirk on the man's face seemed to be even more pronounced than normal. As though he knew exactly what he was doing.

Whatever Sebastian was up to, it worked. Blaine's surprise and sudden discomfort at seeing the meerkat yet again, broke his concentration. He faltered and fell off the board and into the water, cursing under his breath.

When he came up again, breaking the surface, he had half a mind to go off on the meerkat. But once again, he was nowhere in sight.

…

"_I can't be hallucinating!" Blaine said staring at the camera. "Sebastian is following me! I know you've caught something on camera!" Spencer and Roderick exchanged a glance, but didn't speak. Blaine let out a heaving sigh. "I can't tell Kurt, he's already stressed out so much. He'll think he has to protect me, and that will just add to his stress."_

…

Emma shrieked in excitement as she finished the course, and raced back up the beach with the clue. "I did it! Will! Did you see me? I did it!"

Her fiance laughed and hugged her. "I saw it, sweetheart! You did amazing!"

They opened the envelope and read the clue.

"Take a taxi to the docks, and catch a boat to the Pit Stop, Cap Diego Beach!"

…

"_Cap Diego is a peninsula within Diego Suarez bay and the location of a former French military base, including the nearby Andrakaka Navy airfield. This is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here, will be eliminated."_

…

Phil took his mark, as the first team came into view, waiting to see their expressions as the Greeter smiled at them.

"Welcome to Cap Diego, Madagascar! Yes, I am Josh Groban, you aren't hallucinating!"

"Will, it's Josh Groban! Josh Groban is speaking to me! I think I'm going to faint!" Emma said, swooning.

Phil laughed as Will caught his fiance. "Will and Emma, you are team number one!"

"Number one?" Will said, excitedly, hugging his fiance. "I can't believe that not only have we made it this far, but we actually won a leg!"

Phil smiled at the couple. "Congratulations! And as the winners of this leg, you've won a Five day adventure tour of the Amazon Rainforest, including Zip lines and skywalks. You can enjoy that after the race! How proud of Emma are you, Will?"

Will hugged the woman in question, looking directly in her eyes. "So proud! She's come so far, and learned so much about herself. I thought it was impossible to love her any more than I already did, but she's proved me wrong. I love how she's faced every challenge on this race head on, rather than shying away from the unknown."

"What do you say to that, Emma?"

"Josh Groban is smiling at me…"

The three men laughed, as the PA ushered them off the mat.

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number two!"

"Blaine, it's Josh Groban! Pinch me Blaine!"

"Sue and Becky, you are team number three."

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Josh Gropin'," Sue said. "You never called me back!"

"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number four!"

"You ain't a bad singer, for a white boy," Mercedes teased, with a wink.

"Santana and Brittany, you are team number five!"

"Josh Groban, Wanky!"

"Adam and Chandler, you are team number six!"

"Really? Josh Groban? You couldn't have found anyone better?"

…

"There's our Speed Bump," Nick observed, pointing out the sign with their picture on it. Under the picture was a clue envelope.

"Wax twenty surfboards before continuing to the next task."

"Waxing surfboards?" Jeff said, incredulously. "That's so easy! We can knock that out fast!"

Nick nodded. "Wes and David and Finn and Rachel are still ahead of us, though. And who knows where Tina and Mike are? They weren't on our flight, so they could be way ahead."

Jeff shrugged. "It ain't over until Phil sends us home."

They smiled at each other, and set to work on the surfboards. Forty five minutes later, they finished the last board, and moved on to the Roadblock, just as Wes and David and Finn and Rachel each got their clues.

"Closes at sunset?" Jeff read. "Good thing I've kite surfed before! I can finish before sunset!"

…

"Wes and David, you are team number seven!"

"Wes!" David said in an overloud whisper, "It's Josh Groban!"

"Finn and Rachel, you are team number eight!"

"Mr. Groban! It's an honor to meet such an incredibly talented person as yourself!"

…

The sun sank beneath the horizon as Nick and jeff opened their clue, and began making their way to the Pit Stop. They still didn't know if they were last, but it didn't really matter. The important thing was that they were together, they loved each other, and they had amazing friends in their lives. The fact that they got to come on this race in the first place was just a bonus.

They ran to the mat, hand in hand, laughing.

"Oh my god! It's Josh Groban!" Jeff squealed. The international superstar smiled at them, welcoming them to Madagascar.

"Nick and Jeff," Phil said, looking from one man to the other. A smile broke out on his face. "You are team number nine!"

"We're not last?" Nick asked, surprised. "We were sure we were last!"

"You are not last, you are still in the race!" Phil assured them.

"I can't believe it!" Jeff said, hugging his boyfriend. "If we aren't last, who is?"

…

_14 hours later…_

Mike opened the envelope at Kite Camp and read the route info out loud. "Make your way to the Beach at Cap Diego."

As they got off the boat at Cap Diego, they noticed a police car parked near the resort on the cliff overlooking the beach, and two police officers speaking to a young, blonde woman.

They were holding hands and smiling as they approached Phil at the mat, knowing what was coming.

"Tina and Mike, all other teams checked in last night, and have already departed on the next leg of the race. I'm sorry to tell you, you both have been eliminated from the race."

"We figured," Tina said, smiling sadly. "It's been awesome doing the race again, but it just wasn't meant to be for us to win. We're just happy to have had the chance."

Mike hugged her close. "As I said, I'm just so lucky to have this woman at my side. She makes every day an adventure."

Phil smiled and shook their hands before they left the mat.


	6. You're Making Me Cry!

**A/N AT LAST! A new Chapter for you! Sorry it's taken so long, My Co Author and I have each had our share of real life issues that have kind of gotten in the way of this story. Hopefully it won't be as long until the next chapter!**

**Reviews always welcome!**

**...**

**Chapter Five**

**You're Making Me Cry!**

"We need to talk," Kurt said, as Blaine sat down next to him in the refreshment tent.

Blaine looked at him, startled. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"What?! No! Of course not! I didn't mean that!" Kurt said, realizing what he'd said. "I meant about the Express Pass!"

"Oh!" Blaine said, smiling. "You had me worried there for a heartbeat!"

Kurt giggled a little hysterically, and leaned over to kiss the darker man. "I'm never saying goodbye to you!"

Blaine smiled and kissed him back. "Good! Okay, so, the Express Pass?"

"Yes. It must be used before the end of this coming leg, and I think we should give it to a team that actually needs it. We've been doing really well without it, but I can think of a team that needs it more than us."

"Nick and Jeff?" Blaine guessed.

Kurt smiled at him. "If they hadn't helped us out in San Francisco, they would have won the pass."

The curly haired man smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He leaned in to kiss the other man once more. "I want you so bad right now," he whispered.

Blaine moaned. "I want you too, but there's nowhere private around here."

Kurt sighed and kissed him again. "Soon."

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. Kurt closed his eyes and counted to ten, before turning to Mercedes.

"I'm sorry, Boo. I just wanted to let you know that Adam and Chandler won't be bugging you tonight. We've all taken the bunks around yours, so the two losers will have to go through us, and if they try, they'll get their heads knocked together."

Kurt smiled at the big-boned goddess. "Thank you, Mercedes. And tell the others thank you, too."

She smiled and hugged both men, before leaving them alone in the refreshment tent.

Blaine sighed. "I don't get it."

"What's that?" Kurt asked, taking a sip of his iced tea.

"I can't understand why you dated them! Well, okay, I get Adam, sort of, but Chandler? What did you ever see in him?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Technically, I didn't date Chandler."

"What?"

Kurt took another long drink of his iced tea before responding. "We were in the same study group at NYU. He seemed okay at first, and we were friends, or so I thought. But every now and then he'd text me and say the group had scheduled an extra study session, and when I arrived, he'd be the only one there. He'd say the others all called off for one reason or another. The first time it happened, I didn't think anything of it. He suggested that since it was just the two of us, we should see a movie and hang out. I figured why not, two friends hanging out, no harm, right?

"The second time it happened, I was really tired, I'd worked my shift at the diner I worked at to pay the bills, and had put in a full day at Vogue, running errands for Isabelle. I was starving, so he suggested we get dinner together, and took me to this fancy place on the upper east side. I told him I couldn't afford a place like that on my salary, and he said not to worry, he'd pay for it. I wasn't comfortable with that, but like I said, I was tired and starving, so I accepted, but after that, whenever he texted me that there was an extra study session, I always brought coffee and a sandwich, and made sure we actually studied.

"One night after one such study session, he insisted on walking me to the subway station, but we ran into his parents. Chandler seemed to not want me to meet them, and at first I didn't understand why, until his mother introduced herself, and said it was such a pleasure to finally meet her son's boyfriend. Needless to say, I was shocked, and stammered out that I wasn't his boyfriend, which is when things really got awkward.

"His mother insisted that Chandler had referred to me as his boyfriend many times, and had told them all about our first couple of dates. When I insisted that we had never gone on any dates, she mentioned the night we'd gone to the movies, and the night he'd taken me to dinner.

"Of course it was at that point that Liesel showed up. She was another member of our study group. She'd overheard part of what was going down, and said that he'd told her that not only were we dating, but that we were hopelessly in love and talking about getting married! I was pissed, and told him that I wouldn't date him if he was the last man on the planet.

"It was around that time that I'd changed my career decision from musical theater to design, and by the end of the month I'd transferred to Parsons, but every now and then, I'd spot him following me. One time he followed me when my dad was visiting. I told him if he didn't leave me alone, I would get a restraining order. He made the mistake of trying to grab my arm, and my dad clocked him upside the head with a tire iron. I didn't see him again after that. I thought he'd finally gotten over me. Apparently I was wrong.

"The guy is psycho!" Blaine said. "You definitely need to check your apartment for bugs when we get back."

"I plan to, but I'm also going to move as soon as I possibly can!"

Blaine nodded, and hugged him tight.

…

"Well?" Sam asked as Mercedes returned from the refreshment tent. "How are they doing?"

Mercedes shrugged. "They seemed okay, although you could cut the tension with a knife. I'm pretty sure Kurt was counting to ten under his breath, trying not to go all snarling hellhound on me when I walked in on them."

Sam nodded. "Santana said those two were ready to explode. It's like Pon Farr, on a gay level!"

Mercedes frowned at her boyfriend. "Pon Farr? Is that a Star Trek reference?"

The blonde man nodded eagerly. "Yeah, but instead of one violent, sexually frustrated male, there are two of them! I still say we should lock them in a closet somewhere and let them get it out of their system."

"And how do you propose we do that without getting them eliminated from the race? The plan won't work if they get eliminated!"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know! Maybe an airplane bathroom instead of a closet?" The diva just glared at him, and he shrank back. "Or not…"

Mercedes crossed her arms over her chest. "What we need to do is nothing! Leave the two of them alone, and make sure no one else disturbs them when they do finally have some privacy."

Sam only nodded, and hugged her.

…

As they left the refreshment tent, Kurt and Blaine stopped to admire the full moon reflected in the waters of the bay.

"It's beautiful," Kurt murmured, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder

Blaine smiled, holding his hand. "Come on, I have an idea!"

They wandered down the beach a ways, far enough from the rest tent and the others that no one would be able to spot them in the dark. Blaine stopped and pulled Kurt into a heated kiss against a rock out cropping.

Kurt clung to the shorter man, already so aroused that it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge. A whine escaped his throat when Blaine's hand slid down between them and cupped him through his jeans.

"Shhh! Easy, babe!" Blaine murmured. "I'm going to take care of you!" And the darker man lowered himself to his knees, quickly freeing Kurt's cock, licking from the base to the tip, swirling around the head, and kitten licking the sensitive ridge a few times, before taking most of it into his mouth.

Kurt gasped, throwing his head back. He couldn't breathe, it felt so good. Blaine slowly pulled back, hollowing his cheeks, drawing out the sensation before dipping back in.

"Oh fuck, Nicky! Yes!" Kurt's eyes flew open at Jeff's voice, and a low snarl rumbled from his pale throat as Blaine pulled off in shock.

"No! No no nonononono!" Kurt screamed as he stormed around the other side of the rock, death glare firmly in place. Nick and Jeff gaped at him like two children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "You two couldn't find somewhere else to make out? You just had to find the same dark section of beach? I was this close to finally getting off, and you had to interrupt!"

"Kurt!" Nick said, a little touch of fear in his voice. "We didn't know you were here! I swear! We're so sorry!"

"But why here? Why now?" Kurt said, still not mollified. "You two live together! It's not like you don't see each other every freaking day! Blaine and I don't have that luxury! We just want a little privacy! Fuck, it wasn't this hard to sneak around on the last race!"

Jeff looked contrite. "We're so sorry, Kurt! We'll leave you two alone!" The blonde man grabbed his boyfriend and dragged him away, breaking into a run.

Kurt immediately felt guilty for shouting at the other two, and hung his head in shame.

…

"Oh my god!" Nick said, gasping for air a few minutes later. "Poor Kurt!"

"Yeah, I don't blame him for being mad!"

Nick looked at his boyfriend. "No, that wasn't what I meant. He's going to be so upset when he realizes he hadn't zipped himself back up before confronting us!"

Jeff looked at the shorter man. "You looked at his penis?"

The darker man blushed. "I didn't mean to! But oh my goodness, Jeff, is that man big!"

Jeff, raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend. "How big?"

…

Kurt muttered a curse under his breath as he realized he was still exposed. And still erect. For a brief moment he thought about continuing where they'd left off, but then he remembered they actually still had to talk to Nick and Jeff about the Express Pass. And he felt like he should apologize to the other couple for blowing up at them.

They straightened their clothes and headed back to the rest tent, seeking out the other couple.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You didn't know we were there."

Nick was blushing, but Jeff just grinned at him. "It's okay, Kurt, we understand, and we're sorry. You were right, Nick and I see each other every day. You and Blaine have been trying to have a long distance relationship. It's harder for the two of you to have time alone together."

"I still shouldn't have yelled at you guys," Kurt said, sitting down on the cot across from them. "And as an apology, Blaine and I want to give you something."

Blaine held out the yellow envelope that had the Express Pass in it. Jeff just stared at it.

"We can't take that!"

"It's okay," Blaine said. "It has to be used by the end of this next leg, and we really don't need it. We just want you guys to stay around a little longer. We really enjoy your friendship, and it's nice to have teams around we can trust. Unlike some teams."

The other two men exchanged a look. "Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

"Positive," Kurt said, smiling at them.

Nick accepted the envelope. "Thank you, both!"

"Yeah," Jeff nodded. "You really didn't have to do this."

"We wanted to!" Blaine said.

…

"_Cap Diego was once a military establishment on the northern point of Madagascar. This outcrop near the beach was the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The teams remaining here have no clue what lays in store for them!_

"_Will and Emma, who were the first to arrive at 3:44 PM, will depart at 3:44AM."_

…

"This is so exciting!" Emma said, waiting for the PA's signal to open the clue. "I never thought we'd ever win a leg! I was just glad when we weren't eliminated this time!"

Will smiled and hugged her. "I believed we could, if the circumstances were right! You need to have a little more faith in yourself, and us!"

"I do now!"

The PA gave the signal, and Emma ripped open the envelope. "Fly to Lungi, Sierra Leone, Africa, and drive yourselves to Freetown!"

"Africa?" Will exclaimed. It was a place he'd wanted to visit someday, but it was also one of the places he knew Emma would have difficulty with, but then, he'd thought she'd have difficulty here in Madagascar as well, and she had made it through with flying colors. He studied her face, to see how she was taking this, and smiled when he saw that she seemed just as excited as he was. She really had come so far!

…

"_This woman continues to amaze me everyday, and I fall in love with her more and more as I see her bloom like a flower. I can't wait for the kids back home to see this, because I know how much she cares about them and wants them to succeed. Hopefully they will see how much she's accomplished and be inspired to do their best all the time."_

…

"Is that Tina and Mike?" Blaine asked, as they entered the airport in Antsiranana, spotting the other couple rushing out another door.

"Damn," Kurt said. "I knew they were behind, I just didn't know they were that far behind! It's more than an hour from here to Kite Camp, and another from Kite camp to the Pit Stop!"

"Maybe it will be a non elimination?" Blaine said, even as they made their way to the ticket counter.

"It can't be, the last leg was a non elimination. They haven't done them back to back since season eleven, I think."

"Oh," Blaine said with a frown, glancing back to where their friends were getting into a cab.

They purchased tickets back to Antananarivo, the only airport in the country from which they could fly to Africa. Unfortunately, they would not be able to book tickets past that until they arrived in the capital city of Madagascar.

…

"Sierra Leone?" Mercedes said, smiling as she read the clue over Sam's shoulder. "We're going to Africa! I'm going to get to see where my ancestors came from!"

"I'm so excited for you, Baby!" Sam said, kissing her cheek as they made their way to the boat dock to catch a water taxi. "Maybe I should research my ancestry. All my dad knows about his great grandparents is that they came from Germany, and my mom thinks her family may have come from central Europe somewhere."

"You don't know where your ancestors came from?" Mercedes asked as they pulled away from the dock.

"Not really. I've always wondered about it, though. It'd be awesome to discover I was related to some historical figure."

"My mom did one of those DNA tests to try and trace our ancestry," Mercedes said. "Turns out we're related to a former queen of Ghana, Asantewa, who led an uprising against British rule in 1900."

"You never told me you were royalty!" Sam said.

"We're not. My great grandmother was something like a third cousin, several times removed, so our line was pretty much out of the line of succession."

"Well, you'll always be a queen in my eyes."

"Awe, you're so sweet!" She kissed his cheek. "Now let's go kick some butt on this race!"

…

"Well Becky, the trail may be hot, but my Le Car is cold," Sue said as she and Becky walked away from the ticket counter, having successfully booked seats on the first flight.

"Because it's cold outside Coach?" Becky, who was carrying both their packs, asked as Sue had what she called random back pain that seemed to only flare up if she had to carry too much weight.

The woman in the tracksuit shook her head. "No because it's been sitting unused since it's tail pipe was stuffed with tater tots. The brat who did it still owes me for damages."

"Right coach," Becky replied.

The two of them found seats away from the rest of the motley crew and Sue swiped a map from another passenger's pocket. She unfolded it and studied it for several moments.

"Aha!" She declared loudly, causing several people to look in her direction. "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever had a realization before?!" she quipped before turning to Becky. "It's just as I suspected. If things keep going this way, we'll find our shadow figure at high noon half past last Saturday!"

Becky only looked at her. "What does that mean coach?"

Sue snapped the map shut. "It means I smell a rat and soon it will be scuttling it's little feet into the luggage compartment. I will catch that rat. Or my name isn't Colleen Farrell!"

"It isn't," Becky said.

"A minor technicality Becky, a minor technicality."

…

"Damn," David muttered after being informed that the first flight to Lungi was fully booked. The first flight wasn't scheduled to leave for two hours, and the second wouldn't leave until an hour after that, which meant they had a couple of hours to kill. They decided to get a snack and a drink in one of the bars while they waited.

"So," Wes hedged, as he took a sip of his beer. "You broke up with Brianna?"

His friend nodded, swallowing his own drink. "I'd been considering breaking up with her for a while. She just beat me to it when I told her I was going on vacation with you. She said I spent more time with you than I did with her, and that it was totally unfair that I was going away with you and leaving her alone."

"That was pretty much what Courtney said, too. Actually, her exact words were 'you two act like an old married couple! Always spending time together and finishing each other's sentences!'"

They both laughed a little at that, and took another drink. An hour and two beers each later, both men were feeling better about their situations.

"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong," David said.

"What?"

"Dating. Maybe we've just been dating the wrong people." The darker man sat up a little straighter, the beer making him just a tad tipsy. "Women are so emotional and clingy. Maybe we should try dating guys for a while!"

"What?!" Wes said again, sounding skeptical.

"No, no, hear me out! Just think about it! Guys aren't going to get upset when you show up half an hour late, and you don't have to deal with PMS!"

Wes noticed the glint in the other man's eye, and realized he was pulling his leg. The bad thing was, the darker man had almost had him convinced. He always enjoyed hanging around with David more than he did spending time with any of the girlfriends he'd had. He wouldn't admit that out loud, though. David would probably think he was gay or something. Not that there was anything wrong with being gay, he just wasn't, that's all. At least he didn't think he was.

…

"_I don't know why I've never been comfortable in any of the relationships I've been in," Wes said, looking past the camera. "I've cared about each and every one of the women I've dated, but for some reason, I've always pulled back when it came to intimacy. The truth is, the only person I've ever been comfortable around is…" He cut himself off with a frown as he realized what he'd been about to say._

…

David studied his best friend over the lip of his beer glass, wondering what the other man was thinking about, and hoping he hadn't ruined everything between them. He'd had plenty of time to think about why his relationships with women just never seemed to work out. Although he'd never told anyone, he'd known for quite some time that he was bisexual. He'd always hoped that his relationship with Wes could evolve beyond friendship, but didn't think Wes felt the same way.

But just for the briefest moment, David thought he saw something in the other man's eyes that made him pause. Maybe it was just the beer clouding his judgement, but he could have sworn he saw something like awareness in those soft brown eyes. And then it was gone as the other man looked down at his own glass of beer.

…

"_All teams are now Flying to Lungi, Sierra Leone, Africa on one of two flights. The first plane, which carries Will and Emma, Kurt and Blaine, Sue and Becky, and Sam and Mercedes, is due to land an hour before the second plane, which carries Santana and Brittany, Wes and David, Adam and Chandler, Finn and Rachel, and Nick and Jeff. Once in Lungi, teams will need to find the marked cars and drive themselves to Freetown and locate the National Train Museum and search for their next clue."_

…

"There are the cars!" Sam shouted as they raced out of the airport. Kurt and Blaine were right behind them. Will and Emma and Sue and Becky were still going through customs.

"Good job, babe!" Mercedes said, pushing her backpack further up on her back and breaking into a jog. The two teams reached the cars just as Will and Emma exited the doors. "I have the route marked on the map that nice gentleman on the plane gave us," Mercedes said to Kurt and Blaine. "Do you guys want to follow us?"

"That would be awesome, Thanks!" Kurt said, dropping his pack in the back end of their SUV, as Blaine got in the driver's seat. Their camera crew for this leg of the race was Zizes and Matt. Kurt liked both of them, and Kurt was glad Lauren hadn't been seriously hurt in Thailand. Sam and Mercedes' crew was Jake and Ryder, who said they were best friends, but often bickered when the cameras were off, especially if Marley was nearby.

They pulled out as Will and Emma and their crew, Spencer and Roderick, were climbing into their own vehicles. Sue and Becky, with their camera crew of Mason, who had been a PA last season but had moved up to sound man this time, along with his fiance, Jane, the camera person, were right behind them.

When they reached the ferry station, Sam and Mercedes and Kurt and Blaine were several car lengths in front of the other two teams, and just barely made it on the crowded ferry. This bought them a little bit of a lead over Will and Emma and Sue and Becky, which would have to wait for the next ferry, which would depart thirty minutes later.

Once at the museum, they quickly spotted the red and yellow flag beside the clue box.

"Detour! Store or Restore," Mercedes read out loud.

…

"_In this detour, teams must choose between two tasks to assist this small museum in the north part of Freetown. In Store, teams must take a tray of goods to a nearby market stall and sell enough commemorative pins to earn the equivalent of twenty US dollars. The task requires little physical work, but finding enough tourists to purchase the pins may take time._

"_In Restore, teams will repaint a section of a passenger car that is being restored by the museum and will be put on display. The task is physically demanding, but teams that have good stamina can finish quickly."_

…

"Let's do Store," Mercedes said to Sam. "We don't know how large the section of the train car we'll need to paint is, and I'm not sure I can manage it." She had slept badly the night before and woken up with a stiff neck.

"Okay, let's go!" Sam said.

A short distance away, Kurt and Blaine were still debating. "I think repainting the car will be faster, with both of us working on it," Blaine said. Kurt wasn't so sure, but decided to go for it since the train cars were right there.

"Good luck, Boo!" Mercedes said as she and Sam took off with their tray of pins.

Kurt waved at them as he pulled on the overalls they were given to protect their clothes from paint splatter. They were shown where the carriages to be painted were, and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the sections weren't as large as he'd feared. The taped off area was only about five feet long, and about seven feet high, with two sets of windows. They found rollers and paint pans, and set to work.

…

The moment Mercedes and Sam entered the market stall, they were surrounded by curious children, all fascinated with Sam's blonde hair, and his huge smile. Mercedes couldn't help smiling as her boyfriend played with the kids as she set up the tray of pins to sell. She loved how gentle and kind Sam was with the children. She knew he'd helped care for his younger brother and sister back home. Someday, he was going to make a great dad.

…

"_Now that our friends know how much Sam means to me, I've been thinking about our future together, and how amazing he would be with our kids. I'd never really thought about myself as a mom before, but with Sam, I can see myself in that role, and know that our kids would be happy and well cared for."_

_..._

"Hey, can you guys help us out?" Sam asked the kids. "We need to sell as many of these pins as we can. Can you help us get some customers?"

"Yes!" they shouted, and began shouting for people to come buy the pins. Within a few minutes, they had several customers, and had more than half of what they needed to complete the task.

...

The task was a little harder than Kurt and Blaine expected, because the hot, dry air made the paint hard to spread evenly, as it dried fast and left lumps and bubbles. They still had about a little more than a fifth of the section to go when Sue and Becky joined them. They heard Will and Emma ask for a tray of pins, and assumed they were going for the other half of the detour.

...

"Becky, you're doing a better job at getting the paint on yourself. Maybe you should stand against the wall and act as a sponge," Sue said, expertly hiding the fact that she was fighting with the roller to get the paint to spread.

"Copy that coach," Becky said, dropping her own roller and pressing herself flat against the wall.

Sue halted in her actions, watching her companion for a moment. She wasn't sure why Becky tended to take so many things literally, but it made her a highly entertaining companion.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I was hired to paint the Golden Gate Bridge?" Sue suddenly asked as Becky rolled herself back and forth. "I had the perfect idea for it too. One that would have made it stand out in the fog. I was going to paint it black and yellow Becky!"

Becky paused and looked up at her. "What happened coach?" she asked.

Sue snarled. "They decided they didn't want people to think they were driving towards a swarm of bees and dismissed me from the project. Then they painted it that hideous orange. No wonder it's iconic. It always looks rusted!"

Becky wouldn't be the first to realize that there was no possible way Sue Sylvester was around when the Golden Gate Bridge was built. Unless of course, she was some sort of immortal being, which Sue was highly likely to claim true.

...

Sam and Mercedes returned from the Store detour just as Kurt and Blaine were finishing the task, and the two men got their next clue just minutes after the other couple.

"Drive yourself to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and search for your next clue!" Blaine read.

Sam and Mercedes were still at their car, looking over their map when Kurt and Blaine reached them.

"There are two routes, but I'm not sure which one is faster," Sam said.

"We can stop at the gas station we passed on the way here and ask," Blaine said. "We need gas and some drinks anyway!"

"Okay, follow us!" Sam said, and they scrambled into their cars, just as Wes and David and Santana and Brittany arrived. As they were pulling into the gas station, they spotted Adam and Chandler heading to the museum.

Sam asked for directions, while Kurt, Blaine, and Mercedes bought some drinks and snacks, and fueled up the SUVs. It was a good thing Kurt thought to double check what kind of fuel to put in the large vehicles, as it would have been a disaster if they had used unleaded in the diesel tanks. As they were leaving, they spotted the rest of the teams heading to the Detour.

"Okay," Sam said as he rejoined them. "There was a nice cop in there who told me that Hill Cot Road is the fastest way, by more than ten minutes. Stay with us, though. You don't want to get lost!"

"Sounds good. We have a decent lead on the others." Kurt said.

The drive was one of the most beautiful they had experienced on any leg of the race to date, including last season. While they were still within the city itself, they saw children laughing and playing with homemade toys. There wasn't an xbox or playstation or nintendo to be seen, but the kids still seemed happy. Once they were out of town, they saw wildlife roaming freely, including a herd of impalas, a family of elephants, and a pair of male lions walking beside the road. It was amazing.

…

"_Seeing something like that on TV doesn't do it justice," Kurt said, glancing from Blaine to the camera. "Those lions were within arms reach, literally, and they weren't phased by the traffic passing them by."_

"_I was in awe of the elephants!" Blaine had a dopey grin on his face. "I've seen them in the zoo before, but they seemed so much larger in the wild!"_

…

Nick was sweating profusely, and Jeff was starting to turn red from the heat. They had been the last team to arrive at the Restore detour, and were quickly falling further behind the others. Sue and Becky were almost finished, and Adam and Chandler were surprisingly muscling their way through it, both most likely motivated by the fact that Kurt was already gone and they wanted to catch up so they could continue to stalk him.

When Adam and Chandler finished before Sue and Becky, Nick knew they had to do something. "I think we need to use the Express Pass."

Jeff just nodded, feeling a little sick from the heat. "Let's get out of here!"

…

"_Jeff had gotten seasick on the ferry, so he was a little dehydrated," Nick said to the camera, "and I wanted to get out of there fast so I could make sure he got something cold to drink, before he got worse. If Kurt and Blaine hadn't given us the Express Pass, I'm sure Jeff would have passed out from heat and dehydration."_

_..._

They handed the officiant the pass, just as Sue called for the judge to check their work. Only Santana and Brittany were still painting. Wes and David and Finn and Rachel had gone for the other detour. Wes and David had returned just before Adam and Chandler left, and Finn and Rachel were now just ahead of Nick and Jeff. The latter team were at the gas station when Nick and Jeff stopped for gas, making sure to check the label on the hatch for the gas to see what kind of fuel to use.

"Do you know how to get there?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I saw it on the map earlier. We want to take Hill Cot road!" Jeff informed them. "You guys want to follow us?"

"Cool, thanks, dudes!" the taller man said. When they got back on the road, they spotted Adam and Chandler ahead of them, turning on to Bai Bureh Road, which was the other, longer route to the preserve. Sue and Becky followed them.

"Sucks for them," Nick said, turning in the other direction.

…

"Wes, we're done!" David called out to his partner, but the other man didn't seem to hear him. "Wes! Come on dude, we've sold enough pins to earn the money!"

The Asian man seemed to snap out of some deep thought as he shook his head and turned to David. "What?"

"I said we have enough money to finish the detour! What's the matter with you today? You seem to be a million miles away!"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what went wrong between Courtney and me."

David frowned at his friend. "You're really taking this break up hard. You've broken up with other women before. Why is this one so different?"

Wes shrugged. He really couldn't explain it. It wasn't that he was in love with Courtney. He'd liked her enough, and she was normally a sweet and level headed girl, except when it came to his friendship with David.

Courtney had always complained that he spent more time with the dark skinned man than he did with her, and pointed out that whenever he and David hung out, Wes was more relaxed and free spirited, while he was often withdrawn and tense with her. He'd always say that was because he'd known David longer, and it took him a long time to loosen up around most people. She would always just give him this look he couldn't interpret, and then ignore him for a few days.

"I don't know," he finally replied. "Maybe because I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for a relationship? Maybe I'm doomed to spending the rest of my life alone because I can't seem to connect with anyone except…"

He cut himself off before he could finish that statement, which caused David to give him a worried look, but the other man just shrugged it off for the moment. "You're just feeling depressed right now, man. I'm sure you won't spend the rest of your life alone. Someday you'll find some gi…" David seemed to choke on the word, and covered it with a cough. "Someone who you will fall in love with and spend the rest of your life with."

Wes gave him a lopsided smile. "Thanks. Let's turn in the money and get out of here."

…

"Roadblock!" Sam read. "Who is ready to Plight their Troth?" The blonde man frowned. "What does that even mean?"

A few yards over, Kurt and Blaine were reading the same clue. "It's your turn, honey," Blaine said, handing Kurt the slip of paper.

…

_In this Roadblock, one team member must carry a twenty-five pound bunch of bananas or bag of oranges a quarter of a mile to one of the feeding platforms and feed twenty fruits to the chimps, before they receive their next clue."_

…

"I'll do it," Mercedes said. A moment later she and Kurt were heading into the jungle, each carrying a heavy load.

Kurt managed his bunch of bananas well, but Mercedes began struggling with her bag of oranges soon after entering the marked path. The rules forbade Kurt from helping her with the burden, but he couldn't stop himself from steadying her when they had to climb over a small fallen tree, or when they had to go down steps made of stones.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the feeding platform, where a group of about fifteen chimps were gathered. Most of them scattered as the two racers approached, but a couple older looking ones remained and watched them warily. Kurt pulled off several bananas as Mercedes opened her bag and pulled out a few oranges. She offered one of the fruits to the graying chimp closest to her, but the old matriarch just studied her for a few minutes before reaching for it.

This seemed to be the signal to the others that it was safe, and a young mother carrying a baby that couldn't be more than a few days old approached Kurt. The mother seemed more fascinated with his hair than the fruit he was offering her. He was only slightly dismayed when the chimp reached up and began running her fingers through it.

Mercedes began laughing when one of the chimps, who looked to be one of the older youths in the group, tried to climb inside her shirt. She gently pushed them away, and offered them an orange. It took them another ten minutes before they'd given out their twenty pieces of fruit each, and they were handed their next clues.

Getting back to the parking lot was faster than the hike to the platform, since they didn't have anything heavy to carry. Will and Emma were just pulling in, and they could see another team vehicle approaching, though they couldn't yet see who it was, as they opened their clues.

"Drive yourselves to the Peace Museum and search for your next clue," Kurt read. "I actually know where that is! It's back in Freetown, I read about it in a newspaper on the plane last night." He pointed it out on Sam and Mercedes' map.

"Great, let's go!" Sam said, racing to their car. As they were pulling out, they saw that the other team that had been approaching was Wes and David, and as they were heading back towards Freetown, they spotted Nick and Jeff and Finn and Rachel.

…

"Damn it," Adam said from the backseat. "We're never going to catch up with Kurt at this pace!"

Their camera crew exchanged a look, rolling their eyes. Dottie, their sound person, wished they'd been assigned to a different team that leg. She really didn't like these two guys. The cameraman, JBI, however thrived on this kind of drama.

"Are you sure the map said to go down this way?" Chandler asked from the driver's seat, not taking his eyes from the road. "I don't see any indication that we're getting anywhere near where we need to be."

Adam checked the map again. "The guy at the gas station said there were two routes, and this was one of them. He didn't know which one was faster."

Chandler grumbled, an unusual reaction for the overly chipper young man. "He must have told us the wrong one then."

After a few minutes, they finally saw a sign indicating they were getting close to the Chimp preserve.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and Kurt hasn't finished the next task yet, and we can catch up." Adam said, thoughts somewhere else, completely.

…

"Looks like you've made some new friends," Will said, smiling at Rachel. He'd never seen the younger woman so happy and open, or so relaxed as she was at that moment with a young chimp looking over each of her shoulders. He hadn't heard her complain once on the hike from the parking lot to the feeding platform, not even when she dropped the bag of oranges on her foot while climbing over the fallen tree.

Will and Emma hadn't had much exposure to Rachel in their first race, but had heard all about her antics from the other racers in Sequesterville, and had spent about a week with her and Jesse when the two of them had been eliminated. Jesse had pretty much locked himself off from everyone, while Rachel had moped in a corner until Carole and Finn had arrived on the last day before they were flown to Portland for the final leg of the race. The young woman he was looking at at that moment seemed like a completely different person, and he was happy for her.

…

"_It was the difference between night and day, seeing her so happy," Will said, his arm draped around Emma's shoulders. "I couldn't believe it was the same young woman. I'm not sure what has changed since the last time, but whatever it was, I'm glad she's found it."_

_..._

She smiled back at him as another chimp began grooming the hair at the back of his neck. A few feet away, it looked like Nick was getting hit on by a young female who had latched onto his side and refused to let him put her down. Even Wes seemed to be relaxed and not in too much of a hurry to get his clue as the large, old, grey male leader of the chimp troupe sat beside him and stared deep into his eyes.

Eventually, they all finished feeding the fruit to the primates and received their clues, and headed back towards their partners. Chandler and Becky were just heading into the jungle as the other four teams reached the parking lot. There was no sign of Santana and Brittany.

…

Swearing in Spanish, Santana glared at the car stalled on the side of the road, as Brittany hugged her from behind.

"Where are Kurt or Burt when I need them?" the Latina demanded, kicking the side of the vehicle. It had died for no reason as far as she could tell.

"I'm sorry, Tana. I wish I could fix it for you," Brittany said. "Unfortunately the only thing I know about mechanics is that some of them look hot in overalls and grease stained white tees."

Santana couldn't help the little laugh that statement brought forth, and turned in the blonde woman's arms, hugging her. "Don't ever change, sweetie."

They flagged down a passing car, and the older gentleman took a look at their engine. "What kind of fuel did you put in the tank?"

Santana frowned. "Unleaded?" she replied, uncertainly.

"Well, that's your problem. This is a diesel engine. Luckily for you, my brother-in-law lives nearby, and has a tow truck. He can tow you to a gas station and flush the line for you, and you can put the proper fuel in and be on your way."

"Thank you!" Santana said, hugging the kind stranger.

The tow truck arrived about ten minutes later, and they were back on the road within an hour. Unfortunately, in the race, sixty minutes was a big deficit.

…

"_I really thought we were out of the race," Santana said directly to the camera. "I was sure this would have been the end of the line for us, but we weren't going to give up. You know what they say, it isn't over until Phil tells you it's over."_

_Brittany smiled serenely._

…

Becky was more so dragging the sack of oranges along the ground rather than attempting to carry it. How did they expect her to lift that thing? She was still covered in paint from the previous task and it had dried, leaving her with splotches everywhere.

"Would you hurry up?" Chandler whined from behind her on the path. "Some of us are actually in a hurry!"

"What's your fascination with Kurt anyway?" Becky asked, attempting to drag the oranges over the log. She didn't even comment that it was too heavy to carry. She had more pride than that. "He's not even that cute."

Chandler glared at her. "Kurt Hummel is the most beautiful being on the planet!" He climbed over the log, and finally managed to pass her when the path widened out just enough. "Don't you ever say anything about Kurt! He's a god! I worship him!"

Becky stopped in her tracks, placing both hands on her hips and returning the favor of a glare. "Geez, haven't you ever heard of people having different types before? So I don't think he's that cute, so what? The rest of the world seems to disagree with me. Big deal!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "You're a fool, then. You'll see! When I get back home to my shrine, I will pray that Kurt smites you for your foolishness!"

"Your shrine?" Becky commented, laughter on her face. "First of all, it doesn't matter that I don't think he's that cute, he wouldn't be interested in me anyway! Secondly, you don't have a chance against gay Blaine. He's such a stud, even girls tried to get with him while knowing he was gay!"

"Blaine is pathetic! You'll see! Kurt WILL be mine!" He picked up his bunch of bananas and stormed off.

"In your dreams, you overexcited minx!" Becky yelled, forcefully grabbing her oranges and dragging them at a much faster pace. She was going to have to pass on the development of a shrine to coach when she got back.

…

"There it is!" Mercedes pointed out to Sam, who was driving. "I see the clue box!"

They jumped out just as Kurt and Blaine pulled up beside them. Sam and Mercedes just beat the two young men to the clue box.

"Pay your respects to those who lost their lives during Sierra Leones' Civil War," Mercedes and Blaine read aloud at the same time.

…

"_Between 1991 and 2002, Sierra Leone was embroiled in a bloody civil war, and thousands of individuals were killed. In 1999, the UN intervened, beginning the peace process in the region. The British government sent troops to support its former colony and defend Freetown from rebels, who continued to attempt to take over the region, until 2002, when the embattled government finally succeeded in taking control of the region and bringing the conflict to an end._

"_Each team member must lay a rose at the memorial wall at the Freetown Peace Museum, before receiving their next clue."_

…

They picked up their roses from the attendant by the door, and as they stood before the mural painted wall, they each took a moment to think about life, and how lucky they were to have all the things they had.

Mercedes had tears in her eyes as she and Sam placed their roses, and even Kurt and Blaine had to wipe their eyes before the curator handed them their next clue.

"Drive yourselves to the Cotton Tree, and find Phil underneath," Mercedes read. Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look. The clue didn't mention a pit stop. Memories of the last race filled their minds, and they just shrugged at each other before rushing to their vehicles.

"Do you know where this is?" Sam asked.

"It's that large tree in the middle of the roundabout we passed coming into town from the airport, I think," Kurt replied. "You can follow us if you want."

Mercedes nodded, taking the wheel as Sam got in the backseat. Kurt drove this time, as Blaine gave him directions from what he remembered earlier.

They easily spotted Phil under the tree when they pulled into the marked parking area across the street. Kurt could have moved a little faster getting out of the SUV, but took a little extra time making sure he had the race pack properly secured around his waist, allowing Sam and Mercedes to reach Phil first.

"Sam and Mercedes, you are team number one!"

"Oh my gosh! Really?" Mercedes asked, squeezing Sam's hand. "You're making me cry, Phil!"

"Yes, really!" Phil assured her. "And as the winner of this leg of the race, you have won a trip for two to Barbados, that you can enjoy after the race. Kurt and Blaine, come on in here."

Kurt and Blaine grinned at their friends as they joined them on the mat. Blaine had been fully aware that Kurt had taken his time so the other couple could come in first, and he was fine with that. They hugged Sam and Mercedes.

"Kurt and Blaine, you are team number two, however, this leg is not over, and you are all still racing! Here are your next clues!" He handed each team an envelope. "Don't waste any more time, get racing!"

They ripped open the familiar yellow envelope, and read out loud. "Fly to Athens, Greece, then travel by taxi to Dimotiki Agora and search for your next clue!"

…

"Bloody hell!" Adam swore as the SUV came to a lurching halt. "I told you you were going too fast! Now look what you've done, you bloody twit!" He jumped out of the vehicle to examine the source of the bone-jarring thud they had just experienced, prior to the vehicle jerking to the right and barely missed turning on its side in a ditch. Even in the fading sunlight, it was easy to spot the problem. They'd hit a massive pothole in the road, causing the SUV to bounce hard. "You've snapped the axel!"

"Well excuse me! You were the one who kept saying we had to catch up with Kurt!"

"I didn't tell you to drive like a maniac! How are either of us supposed to win Kurt back if we get eliminated? Or killed?"

As the two men continued to bicker, their camera crew continued to film the drama. Dottie may have taken her time calling for a replacement vehicle.

…

"That was so fun, Tana!" Brittany gushed as she handed the dark haired woman the clue envelope. "There was this mommy chimp with a tiny baby, and she sat beside me and played with my hair, and then the baby climbed into my lap and fell asleep! I really didn't want to leave, but once I passed out all my fruit, I knew I had to get back to you, but I wish you could have come with me! You would have loved it!"bn M not hubby nun man who

Santana smiled sweetly at the blonde woman. "I'm happy you had fun, babe. Come on now, we have more places to visit!"

They were halfway back to Freetown when they noticed the SUV sitting on the side of the road. It was identical to the one they were currently riding in.

"Is that those two mean guys who want to break up Kurt and Blaine?" Brit asked.

Santana smirked when she realized the vehicle had a cracked axle. "It sure is, sweetie."

She honked at the two men as they passed, rolling her window down to shout, "so long, suckers!"

…

Emma couldn't stop crying as she placed the rose at the base of the memorial wall. Will hugged her, unbelievably proud of how calm she had been since landing in Africa. She hadn't even flinched at the detour earlier as they'd entered the dusty market stall, and she'd been too focused on the smiling, happy children playing in the streets on the road to and from the roadblock to notice the poor conditions they lived in.

It wasn't until she'd read about the atrocities that had occurred during the civil war that she had lost her composure and began to tear up. "You're doing great, Em. We're almost done."

Emma just smiled through her tears. "I'm okay, Will. It's just sad thinking about how all of this could have been avoided if people just got together and cleaned the city instead of fighting!"

Will held back the little bark of laughter that wanted to escape at his fiance's logic, and just hugged her tighter. "Come on, Wes and David weren't too far ahead of us, and Nick and Jeff and Finn and Rachel aren't that far behind us."

…

"Wes and David, you are the third team to arrive, however, this leg is not over and you are still racing! Here is your next clue!"

"Will and Emma, you are still racing, here is your next clue!"

"Nick and Jeff, your race is not over, here is your next clue!"

"Finn and Rachel, I have another clue for you, you are still racing!"

…

"I'm sorry, there are no more flights out tonight," the woman at the ticketing counter informed Sam and Mercedes. "The next flight to Athens isn't until five AM tomorrow morning."

"Seriously?" Kurt asked, having overheard the news as he and Blaine walked up behind the other couple.

"How many seats are available on the first flight?" Sam asked.

It took a moment for the woman to reply. "It is already more than half filled."

"Looks like some teams might not make that flight," Mercedes said. "We'll book it, please." She handed over their credit card and documents.

Once the two teams had purchased their tickets, they decided to get something to eat in one of the small restaurants near the airport. By the time they returned, Wes and David, Will and Emma, and Nick and Jeff had all arrived.

"Did you guys get on the five o'clock flight?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think anyone else is going to get on. I'm pretty sure Nick and Jeff got the last seats," David replied.

Blaine noticed that Wes seemed distracted. "Everything okay?" he asked his friend.

Wes shrugged. "Just have a lot on my mind, I guess." He seemed to be considering something, and after a moment, he pulled Blaine aside. "Can I talk to you for a little bit? Maybe you can help me sort some things out."

"Sure, Wes, you know I'm always here for you to talk to." They excused themselves from their teammates and found a lounge where they could have a little privacy. Kurt watched them walk away.

He was just thinking to himself that he hoped Wes was okay when he spotted it. A familiar tall lanky figure, turned partially away from him, standing at a payphone. He looked as if he was using the phone, but Kurt knew better.

Sebastian Smythe was once again, stalking around them. But how the hell did he know where they would be and when? Was he banging a production assistant to get the details on the full course of the race?

The pale man shook his head off. He couldn't consider something like that. His knuckles turned even paler as he gripped the arms of his chair. He already had to deal with two former boyfriends. He didn't need a meerkat stalker following him and Blaine around too.

It was then that Sebastian attempted the sly glance over his shoulder, failing to feign talking on the phone as he smirked at the other man. Kurt was tempted to point him out to airport security. But the problem here was that he wasn't actually doing anything wrong. So there wasn't really any point in calling attention to the stalker.

"Damnit," he muttered to himself, loosening his grip on the arms of the chair and slumping a little in defeat.

Kurt was distracted when Finn and Rachel joined them. Rachel looked a little upset, but she was behaving herself and not throwing a tantrum.

"They said the first flight was sold out, so we had them put us on standby," she explained. "We can't buy tickets for the second flight until we find out if we're going to make it on the earlier flight."

Finn shrugged. "It's risky, of course, but if it pays off, we'll have a thirty minute lead on anyone who gets on the second flight."

When Kurt glanced back towards the payphone, Sebastian was gone.

…

"Sue and Becky, this leg of the race is not over, here is your next clue!"

Santana and Brittany, you are still racing, here is your next clue. Good Luck!"

"Yes! Thank you Phil!" Santana kissed the host on the cheek before snatching the clue from his hand and running back to their SUV.

…

"I wonder what those two are talking about? They've been in there for over an hour now." Mercedes asked as she and Kurt walked past the lounge where Wes and Blaine were sitting in a booth near the window. She and Kurt had decided to walk around the concourse for a while to loosen up after having spent most of the day in cars or airplanes.

Kurt shrugged, still a little distracted by the latest sighting of Sebastian. "Probably something to do with the fact that Wes is finally starting to realize he may not be as straight as he always thought he was."

"What?"

"Blaine is pretty sure Wes and David are in love, but are too clueless to admit it to each other, let alone themselves. They've all known each other since junior high school. Well, that was when Blaine met them, but they've actually known each other longer."

Mercedes just shook her head. "When are people going to learn you can't help who you fall in love with?"

Kurt smiled and put an arm around her shoulders as they continued their walk.

"Oh, look, Mercedes!" he pointed out the jewelry store they were passing. There was a display of engagement rings in the window, including some that were obviously designed for men. The one Kurt was pointing out was a twisted band of platinum and black titanium, with a small square cut diamond, set flat into the band. "That's exactly the ring I was looking for for Blaine!"

"It is pretty. But are you sure you're ready to take that step, Boo?"

Kurt shrugged and smiled at her. "From the moment we first met, I just knew he was the one I'd been searching for. He makes me feel so safe, and I know he loves me as much as I love him."

"Awe, that's so sweet!" Mercedes said, hugging him. "Too bad you can't buy the ring now."

Kurt sighed. It was true, he didn't have his own money with him, only the stipend they were given for each leg of the race, which he couldn't spend on something that expensive.

"I'll buy it for you," a voice chirped from nearby, causing Kurt to flinch before he even turned to look at the two men standing behind them. Chandler was grinning, as Adam looked thoughtful. "It would look perfect on your finger when we get married!"

"Ugh! Don't make me sick!" Kurt said, turning to walk back towards the others with Mercedes right beside him.

They reached the entrance of the lounge just as Wes and Blaine were exiting, and Kurt rushed into his boyfriend's arms, feeling the eyes of the other two men still on him, and making him feel dirty.

"Can we get out of here for a while?" Kurt pleaded. Between thinking he saw Sebastian earlier and the way Chandler and Adam were staring at him, he was on the verge of a massive panic attack.

Blaine saw the other two men watching them, and glared at them before answering. "Of course, sweetheart. Let's go."

To Be Continued...


End file.
